Tajikistan

Tajikistan has never participated in UN peacekeeping operations. The main reason relies on its internal political environment which has struggled since independence. A former Soviet republic, Tajikistan plunged into civil war almost as soon as it became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991 (BBC 2006bf, par. 1). Its foreign policy has always been affected by its geography and the ambitions of superpowers such as the USA to have access into Afghanistan. Its internal struggles have also affected its economy. And in 2001, the Tajik foreign minister stated: “in line with UN requirements, any country involved in the peacekeeping force should cover its expenses itself, and that Tajikistan could not afford this at the moment” (BBC-MIR 2001b, par. 1).

Initial variables of the data collection process:

UN/UN peacekeeping policy reform
No record.

Perception of peacekeeping
The Tajik foreign minister has said that Tajikistan could not send peacekeeping forces to Afghanistan (Ibid.). He recalled that, in line with UN requirements, any country involved in the peacekeeping force should cover its expenses itself, and that Tajikistan could not afford this at the moment (Ibid.). Thus, while the willingness to send troops exists, the perception of peacekeeping is that they are expensive operations.

Domestic political environment
The president, Imomali Rahmonov, looks certain to win re-election for a third term in the presidential election due on November 6 2006 (EIU 2006co, 1). Having sidelined potential rivals and clamped down on independent media, Rahmonov is unlikely to face a serious challenger in the election, particularly as the opposition is in disarray (Ibid.). After the election, Rahmonov will continue to consolidate his position (Ibid.). Tajikistan has been accused by its neighbors of tolerating the presence of training camps for Islamist rebels on its territory, an accusation which it has strongly denied (BBC 2006bf, par. 2).

Domestic economic environment
Since independence, the long civil war and the disruptions stemming from the collapse of the Soviet system have contributed to widespread social tension and poverty in Tajikistan (EIU 2006ar, 14). GDP per head was estimated at around US$350 in 2005, making Tajikistan one of the poorest countries in the world (Ibid.).

Military affairs
Tajikistan’s army is under funded and poorly maintained (Ibid.).

As part of the 1997 peace agreement most divisions of the former United Tajik Opposition (UTO) armed forces were merged with the Tajik military. Tajikistan’s regular army comprises around 7,600 army troops and 5,300 border guards (attached to the Ministry of the Interior), with about 100 armored vehicles, around one-half of which are tanks. It also operates around 20 helicopters. (Ibid.)

The development of its troops has faced many challenged:

Conscription into the Tajik army is frequently avoided by bribing military officials. Much of the Tajik army is therefore made up of conscripts from economically disadvantaged families. The armed forces have also been accused of complicity in drug-trafficking. In 2003 the Tajik government substantially reduced the number of cadets it sent to Russia for training owing to a lack of funding. However, other countries are now training Tajikistan’s military forces, including the US, China, France and India. (Ibid.)

Foreign policy
By virtue of its location and historical ties, Russia has played a dominant military and economic role in Tajikistan since the collapse of the Soviet Union (Ibid., 11). Tajikistan also maintains strong relations with the US Rahmonov has also cultivated closer links with the US, opening up the country’s air bases for humanitarian and military missions to Afghanistan in support of the US-led military operations there in 2001 (Ibid., 12).

The US is Tajikistan’s single largest donor, providing about US$50m in financial assistance in 2004, both in humanitarian aid and in a variety of projects to support market reforms, and improve law and security. The US is also training Tajik army officers and border guards, and is involved in efforts to revitalize trade links between Afghanistan and Tajikistan, providing most of the funds for the construction of a bridge between the two countries. (Ibid.)

Relations in the region still strained (Ibid., 12). Tajikistan is a member of several regional security and trading organizations, but these have proved largely ineffective in developing common policies, or in boosting intra-regional co-operation (Ibid.). Thus, bilateral agreements are stronger than regional ties.

Additional variables found after the preliminary analysis:

Climate changes
No record.

Independent negotiations taken by DPKO to seek troops
It is not quite clear if DPKO was involved in this. As of 2001, the Tajik side had no plans to send its military contingent to Afghanistan to join the international peacekeeping force, according to Tajik Security Council Secretary Amirqul Azimov (BBC-MIR 2001a, par.1). He stressed "this subject has not been discussed at any level…the formation of peacekeeping forces, their numbers and the participation of this or that country in such operations are determined by a mandate from the UN Security Council" (Ibid.). The UN leadership has not submitted to the Tajik side any proposal to this effect (Ibid.). Azimov said that the presence of "blue helmets" [peacekeeping forces] in Afghanistan was extremely important for the stabilization of the political and military situation, and for overseeing the implementation of the Bonn agreement (Ibid.).

Independent negotiations taken by contributor countries to engage non-contributor countries
Kelche’s talks (French army’s General Staff chief Jean-Peirre Kelche) with Rakhmonov (President of Tajikistan) focused on military-technical cooperation of Tajikistan and France (ITAR/TASS 2002b, par. 1).

Kelche said after the talks that use of Tajikistan’s civilian airport was extremely important for France, as "it allows directly moving our peacekeeping contingent to Kabul". He did not elaborate on the strength of the French contingent or the duration of the peacekeeping operation. "We see ourselves as guests in Tajikistan and we shall be staying here as long as we are welcome," Kelche said. As for his talks with Rakhmonov, he said they discussed the situation in Afghanistan and bilateral cooperation, in particular in the military field.Kelche did not specify forms of the cooperation, saying that they were at the phase of discussion. (Ibid.)

Meetings organized by other international organizations to engage in dialogue about peacekeeping
No record.