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ABSTRACT
In this article I will discuss three areas: Central Asian countries' immediate responses to the COVID-19 crisis, including the current public health situation; the short- and mid-term economic impact of the global shutdown and slump in oil prices; and what the countries' responses demonstrate about their regimes, relationships, and places in the world today. I will compare and contrast the five countries throughout the article, drawing attention to the most relevant and interesting examples of policy and outcome, with supporting statistics and commentary as relevant. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan will get the bulk of the analysis, which is a reflection of the difficulty of getting credible information about the COVID-19 situation in Turkmenistan.
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Sophie Ibbotson
Sophie Ibbotson has worked in Central Asia since 2008. She is a consultant to the World Bank and the governments of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, and a former advisor to the government of Kyrgyzstan. She has written and updated Bradt Travel Guides to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, and is a Council member at the RSAA. This article has been developed from a webinar which she delivered to the Society on 22 April 2020.