DISINFO: The West plans to destabilise Central Asia
SUMMARY
The idea of destabilising Central Asia is not directly related to military actions in Eastern Europe. This concept was discussed in Western expert circles as early as 2010, at the time when the USA maintained a substantial military presence in Afghanistan. The objective was to disrupt the geopolitical projects of competitors, primarily China with its "One Belt, One Road" initiative, and Russia with its Eurasian Union concept.
Financing for these activities often comes from Western funds and is channeled through embassies and consulates, making it challenging to control. The strategy includes funding opposition groups, gaining the support of a portion of the local elite to facilitate a successful regime change and to identify the rise of spontaneous protest sentiments.
RESPONSE
This is classic conspiracy thinking. There is no credible evidence to support claims about a foreign interference of any kind in the unrest in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan or any other country. This claim also fits well into recurring disinformation narrative suggesting Western policy of staging “colour revolutions” worldwide with the aim of destabilising Russia.
See this fact sheet on EU relations with Central Asia.
In January 2022, peaceful protests against rising liquid gas prices led to nationwide protests against economic inequality. The protests descended into riots, and prompted a massive security response from the government, including a “shoot to kill” order and the unprecedented deployment of forces from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). The crackdown included internet shutdowns, a massive wave of arrests and arbitrary detentions.
The EU and US recognizes the importance of the sovereignty and strategic autonomy of the Central Asian States, individually and as a region. Tackling common security challenges and building region’s resilience are among priority strands for the EU-Central Asia and US-Central Asia partnerships.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives in our database, such as claims that US-sponsored Kazakhstan protests aimed to undermine CIS stability, that protests in Kazakhstan are a new Western attempt to organise a colour revolution, that events in Kazakhstan are another Western-made colour revolution or that EU and US aim to generate a new wave of anti-government protests in Belarus.