Central Asia has Just 250 Think Tanks, Most of Which are Small and Don’t Issue Many Reports

Paul Goble

            Staunton, June 9 – The five countries of post-Soviet Central Asia have a total of approximately 250 think tanks, they are small, averaging no more than 12 people each, prepare only about 17 reports a year, and only one of them, KISI.kz, is in the top ranks of the Global Go-To Think Tank listing.

            That means, the Stanradar.Com portal says, that most Central Asians who want analysis have to turn either to think tanks abroad, few of which cover their region adequately, or to Central Asia media. Often such people have to rely on often problematic social media alone (stanradar.com/news/full/57582-stanradarcom-sozdaet-smysly-dlja-tsentralnoj-azii.html).

            This is a serious problem not only for experts and officials in these countries but for experts elsewhere who seek to understand what is taking place in these five increasingly important countries at the crossroads of east-west and north-south trade and communication corridors.