When will the Recession End? part 192 Central Asia's basic human and physical infrastructure: Decay and Decline

CENTRAL ASIA: Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. Central Asia's basic human and physical infrastructure: Decay and Decline

Downhill Slide: the independent report states that new states have problems maintaining the development level of the Soviet Union ; the new governments are corrupt and cater more to their elites than serving the people; new systemic reforms are needed

The report stated that 20 years after the demise of the Soviet Union, Central Asia's basic human and physical infrastructure, incl roads, power plants, hospitals and schools and the last generation of Soviet-trained specialists who have kept this all running, is disappearing: the equipment is wearing out and qualified personnel retiring.

The report summarized that the post-independence governments did not make efforts to maintain or replace infrastructure. The report concluded that decaying infrastructure in Central Asia will lead to more social tensions, deepen poverty and likely increase chances for conflict. According to the report, the two poorest countries Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are in dire straits: power cuts and failures there are getting more common. Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan are heading in the same direction, and even Kazakhstan, the region's only functioning state, will be affected by infrastructure deficiencies, poor transportation and poor technical personnel training. The researchers also criticized international organizations providing assistance to Central Asia countries and called on them to strengthen control over distribution of their assistance funds and be more forthright about problems in the region. The report cautions that collapsing infrastructure could bring down the regimes. (crisisgroup 2/3)

Comments

[Kurtzs]

..."the new governments are corrupt and cater more to their elites than serving the people; new systemic reforms are needed"

This statement seems true for most governments at the national level and many governments at regional levels. Local levels tend to have better democratic representation in that people usually know each.