On March 2, 2016 the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) represented by its Program Manager Elena Alekseenkova took part in the International Conference “Topical Security Issues in Eurasia: Challenges and Solutions,” which was organized in Astana by the Russian-Kazakh Expert IQ-Club at the Library of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan – Leader of the Nation.
On March 2, 2016 the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) represented by its Program Manager Elena Alekseenkova took part in the International Conference “Topical Security Issues in Eurasia: Challenges and Solutions,” which was organized in Astana by the Russian-Kazakh Expert IQ-Club at the Library of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan – Leader of the Nation.
The participants of the conference held a broad discussion on traditional and specific security challenges in the region, covering problems of terrorism and withdrawing cross-border threats from the conflict zone in the Middle East, fight against the ideology of radical Islam, infiltration of the Islamic State, banned in Russia, into Central Asian countries, Kazakhstan and Russia, as well as participation in armed hostilities of citizens of the above states on the side of the Islamic State. The problems of drug trafficking, arms traffic through Central Asian states, as well as the CSTO, SCO and other organizations’ instruments to address security challenges were discussed too.
Much attention was paid to internal security challenges in Central Eurasia, to economic and social issues that could provoke instability in the countries of the region. In this regard, special consideration was given to the analysis of the risks that could hamper successful implementation of integration projects, of the EEU in particular.
In the RIAC report Elena Alekseenkova identified the key internal and external challenges to the region’s security. It was emphasized that, while recognizing the fundamental importance of widely discussed external threats in Eurasia, namely the conflict between Russia and the West, the arms race scenario, export of terrorism from the Middle East, the global economic crisis and financial instability, internal security threats are no less dangerous and should not be overlooked. They are as follows:
- Poorly diversified economy, weakened technological base
- Lack of development strategies or of essential features of their implementation in many countries of Central Asia
- Inadequate institutionalization against the backdrop of informal institutions’ (parochialism, regionalism, corruption) essential role
- Risk of ethnic tension growth
- Low degree of vertical and horizontal social mobility
- Low degree of social integration (in certain Central Asian societies)
- Demographic boom combined with the leadership’s policy of ousting economically active population (in a number of Central Asian states).
Failure to adequately respond to these challenges will mean for a number of states in the region their inability to provide development. And this lack of development will inevitably provoke increased social tension and create fertile ground for the spread of radical Islam. Failure to demonstrate an essential economic success achieved within the EEU framework is fraught with the Union’s substantial reputational loss.
International Conference “Topical Security Issues in Eurasia: Challenges and Solutions”
