How the West Compromised Its Pursuit of Democracy in Central Asia

After a decade of relative neglect, post-Soviet Central Asia has become a foreign-policy priority for the transatlantic community.

Open Society Fellow Alex Cooley gave a recent talk in which he examined how the United States and Europe have engaged with the region in recent years and why these new ties have failed to improve the dismal quality of governance. Much of the blame, Cooley argued, rests with Western governments that have compromised their pursuit of democracy in Central Asia in order to maintain military basing options in the region and secure access to oil and gas reserves.

Listen to the event above.