Geopolitical Economy Of Uzbekistan And Rogun Hydropower Station Construction

The conflicts of water resources in Central Asia have begun to emerge since the Soviet period.After the disintegration of the Soviet Union,due to the lack of a unified and effective water resources management mechanism,Central Asian countries have had long-term conflicts over the development and utilization of water resources.Among them,the conflict between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan is particularly intense.As a country on the upper reaches of the Amu Darya,Tajikistan occupies a natural advantage in water extraction and use.Tajikistan believes that it has the right to control the water resources of the river and wants to build the Rogun Hydropower Station to meet domestic electricity demand and to achieve domestic economic development.However,this measure has had a serious impact on the water intake of Uzbekistan-one of the downstream countries,not only greatly reducing the amount of downstream water,but also bringing a lot of ecological problems.Therefore,Uzbekistan and Tajikistan have been in a stalemate over the construction of the Rogun Hydropower Station for a long time,and even almost turned into a military conflict during Islam Karimov’s reign.After Shavkat Mirziyoyev came to power,Uzbekistan gradually softened its hardline stance and the relationship between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan has also improved.Nowadays,the construction of the Rogun Hydropower Station is no longer a competition for water resources between upstream and downstream countries,but a competition between the comprehensive national strength and diplomacy of them.Related international organizations and major countries within and outside Central Asia are all involved in it.So the problem of the station construction is the hard bone and the key to solving the water conflict in Central Asia.If the problem is successfully resolved,there will be principles and precedents for solving the problems of water conflicts in Central Asia,especially the distribution and utilization of water resources,and also the integrated management of water resources in Central Asia will probably be truly realized in the future.