01398nas a2200205   4500000000100000000000100001008004100002260001600043653001200059653001700071653001300088653001300101653001500114653001500129100002200144245010700166300001000273490000700283520090200290       2018                            d  cWinter 201810aborders10aCentral Asia10aconflict10aFerghana10aKyrgyzstan10aTajikistan1 aKemel Toktomushev00aUnderstanding Cross-Border Conflict in Post-Soviet Central Asia: The Case of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan  a21-410 v173 a<p>Despite the prevalence of works on the ‘discourses of danger’ in the Ferghana Valley, which re-invented post-Soviet Central Asia as a site of intervention, the literature on the conflict potential in the cross-border areas of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan is fairly limited. Yet, the number of small-scale clashes and tensions on the borders of the Batken and Isfara regions has been growing steadily. Accordingly, this work seeks to contribute to the understanding of the conflict escalations in the area and identify factors that aggravate tensions between the communities. In particular, this article focuses on four variables, which exacerbate tensions and hinder the restoration of a peaceful social fabric in the Batken-Isfara region: the unresolved legacies of the Soviet past, inefficient use of natural resources, militarization of borders, and lack of evidence-based policymaking.</p>