Recent conflicts, from the war in Ukraine to Azerbaijan’s reconquest of Nagorno-Karabakh, have created a sense that violence has begun to encompass the former USSR. But what if this violence had been there since the collapse itself - since 1991 and the years immediately prior? Using the case study of Tajikistan and its descent into bloody civil war in the early 1990s, Isaac McKean Scarborough in his new book "Moscow’s Heavy Shadow" suggests that we return violence to the nascence of the Soviet collapse. When late-Soviet economic and political reforms were implemented in Tajikistan after 1985, they led to economic recession, social upheaval, and ultimately political chaos. Nascent populist politicians seized the opportunity to fight for power, leading by May 1992 to open warfare and endemic violence that lasted for years. Since the beginning, this book argues, war has accompanied the extended Soviet collapse, much as it continues to do so today.
Accessibility
The Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact us at 617-495-4037 or daviscenter@fas.harvard.edu in advance of your participation or visit. Requests for Sign Language interpreters and/or CART providers should be made at least two weeks in advance if possible. Please note that the Davis Center will make every effort to secure services but that services are subject to availability.
