International Assistance in Border Security: the Impact on the Political Regime of Tajikistan in Counter Narcotic and Counter Terrorism Measures

Abstract

Since its independence in 1991, Tajikistan has remained one of the poorest countries in the region. The main reason for this continued poverty is the civil war that occurred in Tajikistan after independence from the Soviet Union. This conflict weakened not only the economic sector, but also the political and social spheres. The security sector as a whole, and mainly border security, especially the Tajik Afghanistan border, which is one of the main routes for trafficking Afghan opium not only in Central Asia, but also to Russia and other European countries, was the most vulnerable. Tajikistan, weak and vulnerable after gaining independence, recognized that it needed external help to strengthen its national security. Thus, from the very beginning of its existence till today, Tajikistan receives international assistance in its security sector in the form of money, modern technologies, material, staff training, etcetera. This thesis will attempt to study the impact of this assistance on the political regime of Tajikistan. This will be done by using the existing literature and data to analyze this influence, as it is crucial to understand how international aid impacts the political regime.