The US Intervention In Civil Society Changes In Tajikistan
ISWNews Analysis Group – The US Embassy in Tajikistan announced the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to the new civil law of the Tajik Parliament.
USAID, together with the Parliament of the Republic of Tajikistan, presented the new Civil Code to representatives of relevant state bodies and civil society organizations. USAID’s interest was generated by the Code’s provisions related to land governance.(1)
The new Civil Code of the Republic of Tajikistan was approved on December 24, 2022 and will become effective on July 1, 2023. It not only will determine the main directions, priorities, and tasks in the sphere of civil legislation, it sets forth provisions to regulate property and personal non-property relations, as well as the procedure for exercising intellectual and other property rights, corporate relations, contractual and other obligations. Specifically with respect to land governance, the new Code sets forth the rights and obligations of dekhkan farms and simplifies land registration procedures.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was set up in 1961 as a result of the integration with other US institutions engaged in developing the country’s international influence, and the USAID is now active in more than 100 states, including Jordan, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan (prior to 2021 takeover of Taliban of the war-stricken country) and Iraq. In accordance with the Iraqi authorities, the US agency played a key role in intensifying the unrest in Iraq in 2019.
Even though, the US agency has played a role in Tajikistan for several years, its engagement in the policymaking process of the Central Asian country indicates the United States’ attempt to improve its influence and effectiveness in Tajikistan, because the American agency is tasked to maintain the political, security and economic interests of the US administration directly throughout the world.
Hence, the United States Agency for International Development’s support for certain trends and civil developments in Tajikistan, which is one of the significant nations in Central Asia, indicates the United States’ attempt to transform Tajikistan’s social layers in line with the US’ interests, which can be considered as a warning for other competitors of the United States in the Central Asian region.
1- USAID Supports the Tajik Parliament in the Presentation of the new Civil Code
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