The “7” STAN(S) – Finale. Commoners

The “7” STAN(S) – Finale. Commoners

All right, here we are. The final episode, fellas. If you have made it this far, maybe you will stick around a bit longer. I promise it won’t be too bad. And yeah, I know it’s another episode
full of doom and gloom because why not? That’s what we do here. But hey, let’s at least try to make it
a bit easier to get through. So to lighten the mood and as a little
reward for my loyal viewers, I am going to kick things off
with something truly special. Jingwu’s Signature Dish: Rice Cooker Hot Pot. Rest assured,
the man did not forget his rice cooker. He never goes anywhere without it. And today, we’re making the most of it. Drumsticks. Let’s get some water in here. So sweet, Irtysh River water. Tomato, I only have one left. And, green onions. Voilà! Voilà. I’m such a genius. Cheers. Let’s go. Soup base. We need more people in the party. One more. I will see you in a bit. Look at that. Oh my God! Chicken! Oh, green onions. Tomato. My life is too good. Oh, by the way, this was in Semey, Kazakhstan. We’ve been to dozens of cities
in this series. But the one city that keeps showing up is Semey. We’ve talked about everything
from its Dzungar past, the flooding Irtysh River. Dostoyevsky’s little stop here, and of course, that weird local guy
who could predict the future. But now it’s time for one last tour
of Semey. Let’s head over to the Irtysh and set the clock to 1949. Because it was in 1949 that this region was chosen by the Soviet atomic bomb program
to be the site of nuclear testing. The Semipalatinsk test site, aka The Polygon. Like every other river, there are several river islands in the Irtysh, and that one over there is perhaps the most beautiful river island
I’ve ever seen. There’s a place to do sports a park, a zoo, and most importantly, you can find this the “stronger than death” memorial erected in 2001 for the victims of the nuclear tests. What we’re looking at is a 30 meter tall
black tombstone featuring a mom with her baby
at the very bottom and… a Polygon Mushroom at the top. The command center is about 140km that way in a city called Kurchatov. Named after the father of the Soviet
atomic bomb Igor Kurchatov On August 29th, 1949, the Soviet Union successfully detonated
its first nuclear bomb. There. Part VII – Commoners. ACT 31 – Golden Age, Golden Price Immediately after the war, Stalin returned to his old ways and launched a third purge. Thousands of cadres were dismissed, accused of corruption, nationalism or careerism. The grip of central power
tightened and fear returned. But even Stalin had to die at some point, which he did on March 5th, 1953, the next leader of the Soviet Union,
Nikita Khrushchev, faced a number of daunting problems: low standards of living, poor agricultural productivity, and the need to compete
with a vastly richer United States. It was clear that Stalin’s method of rule
based on terror and violence could not continue in his absence. Khrushchev promptly denounced Stalin
for his crimes against the party. He removed many Stalin appointees, rehabilitated the victims of the purges, and shut down the gulags. Khrushchev spearheaded the Virgin Lands
campaign in 1954 to boost food production, bringing vast pasture land
in Kazakhstan and Siberia under the plow From the late 1950s on, he pushed for the expansion of urban
housing to improve living conditions. Across the Soviet Union, identical 5 or 9 story buildings
transformed the urban landscape. Several irrigation projects broke ground. The Karakum Canal in Turkmenistan. The Hungry Steppe Project in Uzbekistan, the Amu-Bukhara Canal and the Nurek Dam in Tajikistan. The race with the US intensified roughly a decade after Central
Asia entered the nuclear age, it also stepped into the space age. On October 4th, 1957, in Baikonur, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik One, the first artificial satellite, into orbit. Just three and a half years later, on April 12th, 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first human
being to journey into space. Having consolidated his position, Khrushchev turned on his allies and pursued a policy of centralization. Between 1959 and 1962, he forced the removal of the leaders
of all five Central Asian republics. Having survived upheavals
of the 1920s, 30s, and 40s, party members wanted stability
more than anything, but Khrushchev offered none in the end, a coup was staged, and in October 1964, the 70-year-old Khrushchev was forced to resign. The new leadership under Brezhnev began a period of rule that lasted into the 1980s. And “trust in cadres” became the new slogan. Brezhnev kept most of the Khrushchev
era leaders in power. The only change he made was to bring his old friend Kunaev
back into office in Kazakhstan. As a result of Brezhnev’s policy, four of the five republics
were run by the same men throughout the period, and three of them died in office. The one exception was the First Secretary of Turkmenistan, who was ousted by his own cadres in 1969. His successor stayed in power
for the rest of the period the years under Brezhnev was Central Asia’s
golden age. The economy grew, standards of living rose, and people came to identify
with the Soviet state as never before. Men were subject
to compulsory military service, but benefited from free education and almost free health care. Roads, schools and other infrastructure
reached even the smallest villages. In addition, government
support for jobs, pensions and maternity
leave expanded substantially. Poverty fell, the population grew, and the share of Central Asians in the Union
nearly doubled over this period, from 6.3% in 1959 to 12.3% in 1989. Islam was secularized. Dietary taboos largely disappeared. Alcohol was a casual feature of life
across society, and even the consumption of pork became common for most Muslims in the Soviet Union. Islam became more a marker of national
identity than of religious practice. Very few people performed everyday rituals Tashkent, the center of Russian power in Central Asia, underwent major transformation
after a devastating earthquake in 1966. Its reconstruction became a union-wide effort. Over the next three years, a model Soviet city was built, with wide boulevards, extensive parks, green spaces and massive apartment blocks. In 1977, to mark the 60th anniversary
of the October Revolution, a lavishly decorated metro opened. For many newly independent countries, Sovietness
symbolized modernity, socialism, and a commitment to justice and equality. The Central Asian experience showed them
that socialism could be achieved, bypassing capitalism. Yet nothing good comes without a price and a golden age calls for a golden price. By the 1980s, Brezhnev era prosperity was fading. Economic growth slowed, industrial investment declined, agriculture suffered, and rapid population growth strained resources. Moscow’s relentless demand for cotton
led to environmental and social collapse. Cotton took up 46% of farmland
in the three southern republics. And crop rotation was largely abandoned
to keep up with the ever-increasing demand for cotton per capita consumption of meat,
eggs and milk remained well below the Soviet average, while infant mortality rate was nearly twice as high. Heavy use of chemicals began in the 1950s and reached 20 to 25kg per
hectare by the 1980s. The land itself became toxic. The biggest ecological catastrophe,
however, was the slow death of the Aral Sea. Once the fourth-largest lake on Earth. I am now in Southern Tajikistan and that, my friends, is the Amu Darya the other lifeline of Central Asia. You know, I have always enjoyed standing by the river. You can feel the energy of the river coursing through you, and it brings me so much joy. Anyway, while I’m here feeling all these energy, I’d like to discuss a manmade disaster: The dying of the Aral Sea. And when we talk about the dying of the Aral Sea, we cannot avoid the topic of cotton. The white gold of Central Asia and the number one killer of the Aral Sea. In the 1960s, the Soviet Union
aimed to boost the cotton production in Central Asia, and this thirsty crop demanded a lot of water to satisfy the water needs of cotton, the Soviets redirected substantial water
from the Syr Darya and Amu Darya the feeders of the Aral Sea, up to 60km³ of water was redirected every year. With less water flowing in, the Aral Sea started shrinking rapidly. The sea floor became exposed and the remaining water became saltier. The consequences were devastating, fisheries collapsed
as the water became too salty for fish. The exposed seabed, laced
with agricultural chemicals, turned into dust storms, harming
human health. The dying of the Aral Sea highlights
the importance of sustainable water management and the potential consequences
of prioritizing short term economic gains over a long term
environmental health. I mean, what could we possibly gain without nature? Meanwhile, Kazakhstan faced another dire problem after the first atomic bomb was successfully detonated, Pandora’s box was opened. The Soviet Union started manufacturing
and testing nuclear weapons on a large scale. In total, the Soviet Union conducted
750 nuclear weapon tests throughout the Cold War, and among them, 456 nuclear tests took place in the Polygon
from 1949 to 1989, including 340 underground tests and 116 atmospheric tests. That is about 11.4 nuclear bombs every year for 40 years, making Polygon the most nuked territory on Earth if not for the protest in 1989, the testing might continue
to the fall of the Soviet Union. And as you can imagine, after so many nukes, bombs, for so many years, the land, and the people near the Polygon suffered greatly. The nuclear fallout
from the atmospheric tests and the uncontrolled exposure of the workers has resulted in high rates of cancer, childhood leukemia, and birth defects among the residents
of neighboring villages. It is estimated that about 1.5 million people have been exposed to the fallout over the years and the cleaning of the nuclear waste took 17 years, and was completed just 12 years ago in 2012. I was actually planning to visit the command center
in Kurchatov but when I went to the bus station yesterday, I was told that there was no bus going there anymore and truth be told, that is not the kind of risk
I want to take. And I’m a little concerned about
the radiation there affecting my health. Besides, there are already a lot of wonderful documentaries you can find online about Kurchatov, made by people with bigger balls than mine. So I figured why take the unnecessary risk of damaging my balls and my future kids for something that I probably couldn’t do as well as them. You know, we humans are capable of incredible compassion, love, and altruism. We build communities, create art, and work to improve the lives of others. Yet we also wage war, destroy environments, and inflict immense suffering. And this duality
is especially heartbreaking because it shows us the potential for good that we sometimes squander. On September 8th, 2006, here in Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan signed the Central
Asian Nuclear Weapons Free Zone. But does that mean
history will never repeat itself? I doubt it. And finally, in 2007, the City Council voted unanimously in favor of changing the name “Semipalatinsk” to “Semey” saying goodbye to its nuclear past. As for the two stans in South Asia, there was not a day of peace. Just two months
after the 1947 partition of India, the first Indo Pakistani war
broke out over Kashmir. Now, for those of you who are less familiar with the situation, you might be wondering, wait a second, didn’t the British draw
the borders between the two countries? So why are they still fighting over them? Well, that’s because the British
did not draw a line through Kashmir. You see,
when the Raj was partitioned in 1947, the hundreds of princely states
were not directly divided. Instead, they were given the choice: Join India, join Pakistan, or at least, in theory, remained independent for most princely states, fully
surrounded by one country or the other, their integration
was only a matter of time. But Kashmir was different. It was large, wealthy, and uniquely positioned
both geographically and religiously. It sat between India and Pakistan. Its population was mostly Muslim, but its rulers were Hindu. Both India
and Pakistan wanted Kashmir on their side. The Hindu ruler,
however, hoped to remain independent. He knew that the Muslims wouldn’t want to join India and that Hindus and Sikhs
wouldn’t want to join Pakistan. But as partition progressed, it became increasingly likely
that Kashmir might accede to India. Alarmed, Pakistan backed tribal Pashtun forces to invade Kashmir in October 1947. The ruler panicked
and turned to India for help. India was like, relax. We will help,
but only if you accede to us first. Kashmir was not in a position to negotiate and signed the Instrument of Accession. After Indian troops entered the war, the fronts solidified gradually along what came to be known
as the Line of Control. A ceasefire was declared in 1949. India gained control of about two thirds of Kashmir, whereas Pakistan held roughly one third. In the 1960s,Pakistan received $700 million in military aid from the United States, significantly
modernizing its armed forces. It is a great pleasure and great honor for me to welcome a distinguished visitor president of Pakistan. We are glad to have you here because you come
as the head of an important and powerful country, which is allied with us in SEATO, which is associated with us in CENTO, which represents
a powerful force for freedom in your area of the world. In contrast,
India had recently been defeated by China in 1962 and was still in the process
of restructuring its military in 1965, believing
India to be too weak to retaliate, Pakistan sent troops
to capture the rest of Kashmir. India, however,
not only responded forcefully but also launched a counter attack on West Pakistan. A ceasefire was declared only after intervention
by the Soviet Union and the United States. In 1971, a third war broke out between India and Pakistan, leading to the secession of East Pakistan. Since Partition, East Pakistan had been politically and economically dominated by West Pakistan. The two regions, separated by 1600km and lying on the opposite sides of the Himalayas, were home to different
ethnic groups, languages and histories. The only thing they had in common was their faith in Islam In 1970, East Pakistanis voted for a political party
that advocated autonomy for the East. Naturally, these 23 years that you have seen that East Pakistan, particularly Bengal is nothing but a colonial market. If you want to save this and give equal right as a Pakistani, then you have to give Bengal their right to live. And they must be master of their own resources because they have been exploited
for a long, long, 23 years. It cannot be tolerated anymore. But the West Pakistani government
refused to recognize the result i do not believe that people of East Pakistan
want to separate from West Pakistan. They are the majority people of Pakistan, how should a majority separate from the minority? If you hear these notes, if you hear these rumblings, let me show you this is not the real voice of my people. In response, East Pakistan protested, declared independence, and was brutally suppressed by west Pakistan. About 10 million East
Pakistanis fled to India, which supported their guerrilla fighters and eventually
sent its own military forces. Within two weeks of intense fighting, Pakistan was defeated on both fronts and forced to accept the creation
of an independent Bangladesh. With the loss of East Pakistan, the country also lost half its navy, a quarter of its air force and a third of its army. It’s worth noting, however, Pakistan was not entirely alone
the Third Indo Pakistani war. It had one ally sort of the United States. At the time, the US was mired in Vietnam and wasn’t
sure about how to respond to the crisis. To Washington,
Pakistan was a valuable partner, having facilitated a rapprochement
with China in the early 1970s. The Americans didn’t want a Soviet backed
India to become too powerful, and feared that Pakistan would be greatly weakened
if its Eastern Province seceded. However, the widespread condemnation of atrocities
in East Pakistan limited how much support the US was willing to offer
the Pakistani government. In the end, the US acted ambiguously. The USS Enterprise Carrier Group left
Vietnam, moved toward the Bay of Bengal, made a brief stop in Singapore,
and then arrived in Sri Lanka. This maneuver signaled to the Soviet Union and China that American intervention was possible, but by not ordering direct intervention, the US also made it clear
to both India and Pakistan that its commitment
to involvement in South Asia had limits. This ambiguity damaged American prestige
in both countries. Pakistan felt betrayed by Washington’s
failure to prevent the loss of East Pakistan, while India resented the US support for a regime responsible for brutal repression in what would become Bangladesh. Meanwhile, the Soviet-India alliance
grew stronger, as did the China-Pakistan Alliance. Yet America’s
biggest diplomatic failure in the region was not in Pakistan,
India or Bangladesh, but in Afghanistan. In May 1946, Hashim Khan resigned the premiership
due to poor health his brother
Shah Mahmud Khan succeeded him. During his tenure, the United States began expanding its influence into South Asia to counter the Soviet Union. American companies arrived to help build
dams and canals to increase arable land in southwest
Afghanistan. However, the irrigation scheme didn’t work out, and Afghanistan soon
faced an economic crisis. Shah Mahmud Khan resigned in 1953 and was succeeded by his nephew Daud. Daud was a different kind of ruler
from his uncles. The elder Musahiban leaders had avoided
conflict with tribal forces and built their legitimacy
through personal ties. The government was small,
weak, and corrupt when Daud came to power in 1953, government
spending made up only 4% of GDP, and just over a third of
that went to defense. With so little investment in defense,
the state couldn’t even protect itself. Daud wanted to change that. he was determined to modernize
Afghanistan, centralize power and position
the country favorably in the Cold War. To do so, he needed massive foreign aid. I came back with many impressions
of Afghanistan, a land of superb and rugged beauty. But the major impression that I had was with regard to the spirit of your people, a spirit which through the centuries
has meant that Afghanistan has been unconquered and unconquerable. In 1954, Daud turned to the United States. But Washington didn’t view Afghanistan
as strategically important and ignored his request for aid. he then turned to the Soviets,
who provided military and economic aid and quickly became central to
Afghanistan’s economy and administration. Daud also advocated
for a renegotiation of the Durand Line. You see, ever since the partition of India
in 1947, the dispute had resurfaced. When the British gave Indians the choice
to join either India or Pakistan, the Afghans argued that the millions
of Pashtuns in the Northwest Frontier Province should be given the option to either become independent
or join Afghanistan. London ignored the proposal completely, and it soon became a hopeless cause. Now with Daud in power, he decided to try again. In 1960, he sent troops
across the Durand Line, hoping to reunite with the Pashtuns in Pakistan, but was defeated by the local Pashtuns. The locals were like, yes, you are Pashtuns, we are Pashtuns, but that doesn’t mean you can just show up and start acting like you own the place. In 1961, Daud tried again with a larger army, only to be crushed
by the Pakistani Air Force. As a result of the hostility, Afghanistan-Pakistan relations hit an all-time low. In 1961, the two countries severed diplomatic ties and bilateral trade came to a halt. The closure of the border destroyed Afghan economy, leading to greater dependence on the USSR. The Afghans were outraged. Seeing Daud’s position grew shaky, his cousin, King Zahir,
forced him to resign in March 1963, reclaiming power
after being sidelined for over 30 years. Once in power, the King quickly
improved relations with Pakistan. Two months after Daud’s resignation, Afghanistan and Pakistan reached
an agreement and reopened the border in 1964, the King drafted a new constitution transforming Afghanistan into a constitutional monarchy
with democratic system of government. The constitution also banned members
of the royal family from holding senior government positions, effectively blocking Daud’s return to power. However,
the democratization of Afghanistan ultimately failed. King Zahir proved to be
an indecisive leader far too concerned about the limits that democratic reforms
might place on his authority. He messed up both the legislature
and the cabinet. Meanwhile, Daud refused to step aside and set out to frustrate the
reform in whatever way he could and used every means available, including the pro-Soviet People’s
Democratic Party of Afghanistan, PDPA the course of Afghan history was about to change. The PDPA was founded in Kabul in 1965 but split into two factions: Parcham and Khalq in 1967, due to ideological differences, Khalq, led by Taraki, pushed for immediate
and radical socialist reforms. Parcham,
led by Karmal, was more moderate. Both factions
maintained contact with the USSR, but their division
kept the PDPA’s influence limited. That changed in 1973. That year, while King Zahir was on a trip to Italy, Daud, with the help of Parcham, overthrew
the monarchy, declared the Republic of Afghanistan, and became its first president. Initially Daud hailed Afghanistan’s close
ties with the Soviet Union and identified Pakistan as the only neighbor with which Afghanistan had serious tensions. But after consolidating power in 1975, he began purging Communists, downplayed the dispute with Pakistan, and sought closer relations with anti-Soviet countries
like Iran, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Daud then went to the US again for aid. But the Americans, still mired in Vietnam,
ignored him once more. The purge of communists and anti-Soviet
policy eventually backfired. Brezhnev had already criticized
Daud during the 1977 meeting in Moscow, to which Daud responded angrily we will never allow you to dictate to us
how to run our country and whom to employ in Afghanistan, how
and where we can point to foreign exports will remain the exclusive
prerogative of the Afghan state. Afghanistan shall remain poor if necessary, but free in its acts and decisions. The Soviets were furious and helped reconcile
the Parcham and Khalq sections. In March 1977, the PDPA was reunited. Daud tried desperately to crush it, but it was already too late. On April 27th, 1978,
the PDPA carried out a coup and killed Daud
along with most of his family. Our relationship you all should be attentively here. our relationship with all the countries,
including Soviet Union and all of our neighbors and throughout the world, will depend on the amount of their support
to our revolutionary government in political economic field. Does this mean, Mr. President, that you will be following
the strict policy of non-alignment? This is quite correct. Soon after,
the PDPA declared Afghanistan a democratic republic with unshakable
fraternal ties with the Soviet Union. In return, Moscow poured in hundreds of advisers and millions of dollars in military and economic
aid to help the PDPA consolidate power. However, the PDPA had zero legitimacy among the people and knew nothing about running a country. Their rapid reforms and godless ideology
angered the Afghans. A massive uprising broke out in Herat
in March 1979, followed by mutinies in the army
and across the country. Islamic militant groups emerged, backed by both Pakistan and the United States. Meanwhile, the old rivalry between Parcham
and Khalq resurfaced. The party soon tore itself to pieces. Khalq defeated and exiled Karmal. But even within Khalq, divisions remained in the end, Taraki was killed by his former protege Amin,
who emerged as the new leader. By late 1979, the
Soviet Union was faced with two choices, either to let the PDPA regime collapse in favor of a militia-led Islamic government
south of its border, or to intervene to save PDPA rule. It chose the latter, an option that would drag it to hell. ACT 32 – The Dying Giant Facing a nationwide uprising, the PDPA turned to the Soviet Union
for help. At first, the Soviets were reluctant
to get involved. They had not engineered that revolution but were glad to have a friendly regime in Afghanistan. Whether this friendliness was worth military intervention, which would surely inflame the relations with the United States and damage the detente that had emerged between the two superpowers, was another matter. But over the course of 1979, Soviet opinion shifted. Amin was becoming increasingly erratic, and the Soviets feared that he might cut a deal
with the Americans and turn against them. On December 10th, 1979, the Politburo made the fateful decision to intervene in Afghanistan. Two weeks later, Soviet special forces
stormed the Tajbeg Palace in Kabul, killed Amin, and installed the Parcham
leader Karmal in power. So the first question is how long to your mind
Soviet military aid may continue? As I have made it absolutely clear
on many occasions, the limited contingent of the Soviet
armed forces came to Afghanistan on the request
of the Revolutionary Council and the government
of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. in accordance
with the Treaty of Friendship, in all sided cooperation. As well as, in accordance with the UN Charter, The Soviet military contingent presence in Afghanistan, is of temporary nature. They will leave our country as soon as the cause for that invitation no longer exists. Initially, the Soviets hoped for a short mission to restore order while Afghan forces put down the rebellion. But with American and Pakistani support flooding in resistance proved unbreakable. Soviet soldiers
soon found themselves in a full scale war, one that would drag on for a decade for the United States. The Soviet invasion,
coming on the heels of Iran’s revolution, threatened its position
in the Middle East, and access to oil the Arab world, led by Saudi Arabia, felt directly threatened by both the Iranian Revolution
and the Soviet advance, as did Pakistan, which had long
had uneasy relations with Afghanistan. The three came together
to back the Afghan resistance. Many Muslim volunteers
also joined the fight. Among them was a wealthy 22 year old Saudi who poured much of his own fortune into the war effort. His time in Afghanistan and Pakistan would not only reshape, has world view, but also alter U.S. Middle East policy for decades to come. And ultimately,
the skyline of New York City. His name was Osama bin laden. The resistance fighters known as the Mujahideen were celebrated
in the West as freedom fighters. Ronald Reagan even welcomed their leaders
to the white House, comparing them with the Founding Fathers
of the United States. The support
with the United States has been providing the resistance will be strengthened
rather than diminished, so that it can continue
to fight effectively for freedom. The just struggle against foreign
tyranny can count upon worldwide support,
both political and material. The goal of the United States remains a
genuinely independent Afghanistan, free from external interference, an Afghanistan whose people choose the type
of government they wish, an Afghanistan, to which the 4 million refugees from Soviet aggression may return in safety. And yes, in honor. Throughout the Cold War, the West had seen
Islam as an antidote to communism and a useful
ally to be supported and nurtured. Do you see the hypocrisy here? When Nazism is the threat, communism is a useful ally. When communism is the threat, Islam is a useful ally when Islam is the threat, Judaism is a useful ally. And when Judaism is the threat, does that mean we’re going back to Nazism and repeating the whole cycle one more time? This is nuts. To the politicians, it’s all temporary,
all fakery and all propaganda. As for the people, we are told to hate each other and most of the time to kill each other It’s just war after war after war. Anyway, there was also the assumption that Soviet Muslims could serve as a fifth column to stir Islamic fervor in Central Asia, the CIA translated the Quran into Uzbek and smuggled it along as works by radical Islamic writers
into Soviet territory. But to their disappointment, Central Asian Muslims remained loyal to the USSR, with no defections or desertions. Yet this effort to radicalize Islam did give birth to something that continues
to haunt the world. Before you ask, yes, modern jihadism was a child of the Cold War, born in the trenches of Afghanistan
and the refugee camps of Pakistan. And believe it or not, the United States of America
played a direct and undeniable role in its creation. Back in Moscow, Brezhnev wasn’t doing well since 1973, his central nervous system
had been deteriorating. His unhappy family life took a heavy
toll on his mental health. By early 1982, even speaking and moving
had become a challenge. That March, during a factory visit in Tashkent, a railing collapsed on him, striking his head
and fracturing a collarbone. On November 7th, 1982, Brezhnev made his final public appearance at the 65th anniversary of the October Revolution. Three days later,
he died of a heart attack at age 75. Two days after his death, KGB chairman Yuri Andropov was elected general secretary, Andropov was terminally ill when he came to power and spent most
of his 15 months rule in the hospital, by January 1984, he fell into a coma and died a few days later, on February 9th, aged 69. Andropov was succeeded by his chief
deputy, Konstantin Chernenko, who was also terminally ill
and spent much of his time hospitalized. On March 10th, 1985, Chernenko fell into a coma and died at age 73, after just 13 months in office. in less than three years, three supreme leaders of the Soviet
Union had died in office. The next day, all newspapers in the USSR announced Chernenko’s death on page two, printing his obituary. Page one featured a large photo
and biography of the new leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, the man who would become
the last leader of the Soviet Union. Despite the rapid turnover in leadership, Andropov, Chernenko and Gorbachev shared a common goal restructuring
the Soviet system and reducing corruption. You see, a country’s bureaucracy is like a complex machine
with many interconnected parts. Sometimes parts break, vanish,
or just don’t quite fit. To keep it running smoothly, a little lubricant is often needed, and in many cases, that lubricant is corruption. Harmful and unethical, yes but in practice, it can make the gears turn a bit more easily. Under Brezhnev, corruption
was practically baked into the system. I mean, when your slogan is “trust in cadres,” you kind of have to turn a blind eye
to certain things. For a time it worked. But by the late Brezhnev years, the cracks were starting to show. Economic stagnation,
inefficiency and public cynicism became impossible to ignore. To reverse the trend and save the nation, Andropov
launched an anti-corruption campaign. In his brief 15 months tenure, Andropov dismissed 80 ministers and 37
First Secretaries of Soviet republics and initiated criminal cases against high
level party and state officials. Uzbekistan was among the first
to feel the heat. In August 1983, First Secretary Sharof Rashidov was hit with a mountain of letters sent to the Central Committee, all accusing the Republic of widespread
corruption and lawlessness Under Brezhnev, such letters were usually returned
to Tashkent and ignored, but under Andropov, the party
took a different approach. This time, they confronted Rashidov head on and sent teams of investigators to Uzbekistan. What they uncovered shocked everyone beyond the usual
nepotism, bribery and embezzlement. Investigators found that cotton production figures have been systematically falsified for years. Between 1978 and 1983, Uzbekistan had over-reported its output by 4.5 million tons, almost an entire year’s worth of quotas. By February 1986, 40 of the 65 province level secretaries and more than 260 local party secretaries had been removed. One third of all district and city administration
chairmen faced criminal charges. Hundreds of criminal cases were opened, thousands were imprisoned, Several officials were sentenced to death, and some disgraced cadres
even committed suicide. The First Secretary of Uzbekistan, Sharof Rashidov,
himself died during the investigation. All of this played out on the front pages of national newspapers and on Central Television. Russian policy makers and academics began to argue that Central Asia was a burden on the state, and that the subsidies paid to
the region were impoverishing Russia. Uzbeks were furious, furious
about the purge. Furious about the investigators, furious
at the constant criticism of the Republic, and furious
about the influx of European cadres, the cotton scandal had grown into
more than a corruption case. It was now a national humiliation. When Gorbachev took office in 1985, economic growth had slowed over the past 15 years. Global competition with the United States
was draining resources. The environmental problems
were becoming harder to ignore, and the administration
was quite literally falling apart. But instead of stabilizing the already
crumbling Soviet order, Gorbachev shattered it completely. Throughout 1985, Gorbachev
forced the first secretaries of the Communist Parties of Kyrgyzstan,
Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan to retire, leaving of Kunaev of Kazakhstan
as the only Brezhnev era leader still in power. A year later, in December 1986, even Kunaev was removed from office. By 1988, the newly appointed First Secretary of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan was also forced out of office. Gorbachev was aware
that the challenges required new answers, but his answers unleashed forces
that he could not control. Acceleration, openness, restructuring new political thinking and Democratization. To the
USSR these were all destructive forces and glasnost, openness,
was undoubtedly the most destructive. The fateful campaign made it possible
to express ideas and attitudes that were once taboo. Overnight, intellectuals, writers and filmmakers
found their voices. Soon, the entire Soviet
economic program was up for debate. The blank spots in recent
history were filled. Interest in Islam soared. Anti-nuclear protests started and hundreds of organizations were born. Cossack organizations appeared in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan demanding political rights in Northern Kazakhstan, some Russian organizations
demanded to accede to Russia. In Samarkand, ethnic Tajiks began fighting discrimination and calling for greater rights in Uzbekistan. In Jalal-Abad and Osh,
ethnic Uzbeks began building cultural centers and calling for greater rights in Kyrgyzstan. Soon, communal violence erupted. In June 1989, Uzbeks clashed with the Meskhetian Turks in the Ferghana Valley, leaving around 100 dead. A year later, Uzbeks and Kyrgyzs fought
near Osh, killing 300 to 600 people. In February 1990,
violence broke out in Dushanbe, where Tajiks attacked
all Europeans in the city, the unity that once
held people together began to crumble. While all of these were happening, that war in Afghanistan was still going on. In early 1986, Gorbachev pointed out that the Soviet Union was entangled in a costly and unwinnable war. Later that year, the Politburo
finally decided to end the war. By February 1989, the Soviet forces
had withdrawn from Afghanistan. The decade-long occupation
had claimed 13,000 Soviet lives left 50,000 injured and cost 60 billion rubles. For much of its history, Soviet federalism was more a legal fiction
than the true political reality. According to the Constitution, the 15 union republics were sovereign entities that had voluntarily joined the Soviet Federation. But with Gorbachev’s reforms, the republics began to act more like actual political entities. They sought not only to claim the rights
promised by the Constitution, but also to expand them unilaterally. In November 1988, the Estonian Supreme
Soviet issued a declaration affirming the sovereignty guaranteed
in the Soviet Constitution. Other republics followed suit. And by 1990, a parade of Sovereignties
was in full swing. Even Russia itself declared
its sovereignty from the Soviet Union. The tide hit Central Asia that summer. Uzbekistan declared its sovereignty
on June 20th, 1990. Turkmenistan and Tajikistan
followed in August, Kazakhstan in October,
and Kyrgyzstan in December. The dissolution of the Soviet Union, once
unimaginable, began to seem inevitable. Nonetheless, nobody in Central
Asia wanted complete independence. Central Asia occupied the worst position
in the Soviet Union. Economically,
it was a supplier of raw materials. And geographically,
it was completely landlocked and far from Europe, it simply couldn’t afford to be severed from the USSR. Yet despite this reality, Central Asia had very little say in the matter. Gorbachev tried to reconstitute the Soviet Union based on a new Union treaty in March 1991, he put the proposal to a union-wide referendum. There was plenty of opposition, and 6 of the 15 republics refused to participate, but the five Central Asian republics
voted overwhelmingly to preserve the Union. Far from posing an Islamic
threat to the Soviet Union, Central Asians had turned out
to be the most Soviet of all Soviet citizens in the hopes of restoring order, some hardliners in Politburo
launched a coup on August 19th. Tanks rolled into Moscow and troops attempted to storm
the Russian government offices. However, the tanks were quickly surrounded
by protesters. Boris Yeltsin, the newly elected President of Russia, climbed atop one of them and gave a speech. They discredit the Union before the whole world, undermine our prestige in the world community, return us to the Cold War era, and isolated the USSR from the world community. All of this forces us to proclaim that the so-called committee’s ascendancy to power is unlawful. Once the coup failed, all Central Asian presidents
declared the republics independent. Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan
declared independence on August 31st, Tajikistan on September 9th and Turkmenistan at the end of October. Kazakhstan waited until December
and was the last one to leave the Union on December 8th. at a Belarusian government dacha in a forest near the Polish border. The presidents of Russia, Ukraine
and Belarus, the three remaining signatories
of the original 1922 Soviet Union treaty, officially dissolved the Union. A few days later, on Christmas Day
1991, Gorbachev resigned. I am leaving my post with apprehension, but also with hope, with faith in you, your wisdom and force of spirit. We are the heirs of a great civilization and now it depends on each and every one of us, so that it can be reborn
into a new, modern, and dignified life. And the very next day, the once mighty Soviet Union disappeared into thin air. ACT 33 – The Fallout The dissolution of the Soviet state
triggered an economic crisis. Exchange systems collapsed. Goods were scarce
and salaries went unpaid. The ruble plunged into inflation and people struggled to find basic necessities. There was a sense of demoralization,
of things going backward. Boundaries between the republics hardened
into international borders. Families were divided and local
commercial networks were disrupted. In Soviet times, roads and railways
often crossed Republican boundaries. The easiest way to travel from
Khujand to Dushanbe was via Samarkand in Uzbekistan. The road from Samarkand to Tashkent pass through Kazakhstan, while roads in the Fergana Valley
crisscrossed the republic borders. Even today, unresolved
enclaves still remain in the Fergana Valley. Uzbekistan has to build new routes
that avoid crossing international borders, while Tajikistan has built a tunnel
connecting Dushanbe to Khujand. I was actually in that tunnel
on my way to Dushanbe. It was pitch dark, full of potholes. Not exactly my best tunnel experience. Uzbeks in Kyrgyzstan, Tajiks in Uzbekistan, and Russians throughout Central Asia became minorities, realizing life would be different in a Central
Asian no longer tied to Russia, most Russians left. The one exception is Kazakhstan, where Russians still account for nearly a quarter of the population following the Russians, nearly all of Central Asia’s 45,000
Jews and 700,000 Germans also emigrated. New governments began the process
of de-Sovietization and de-Russification, creating a narrative
that cast Russia as a long term oppressor. They passed laws making national languages
the state languages and questioned
the use of the Cyrillic script. Turkmenistan switched to the Latin
alphabet in 1993, followed by Uzbekistan the same year. Kazakhstan announced the shift in 2017. The history of the 20th century
was reevaluated. Those killed in the Great Purge
became national heroes. Literature from the 1920s, once banned, is
now widely available in modern editions. Cities and streets were renamed
and respelled in national languages. Leninobod reverted to Khujand Frunze to Bishkek, Ashkhabad to Ashgabat, and Alma-Ata to Almaty in Kazakhstan,
Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Communist leaders effortlessly transformed
themselves into national leaders. Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan was the only candidate in the presidential election of December 1991, winning the Soviet style 98.7% of the vote. Saparmurat Niyazov of Turkmenistan
outdid him with 99.5% in June 1992. Islom Karimov of Uzbekistan won
87.5% of the vote in December 1991. All three managed to get reelected several times. Niyazov and Karimov died in office, while Nazarbayev resigned in 2019
after almost 30 years in office. The transition was trickier in Kyrgyzstan, where divisions in party leadership led to the election of an outsider, Askar Akayev, as a compromise candidate in 1990. Akayev stayed in power until massive protests
forced him to flee in 2005. Since then, the country
has seen several changes of leadership, but its political elites still have links
to the late Soviet period. Tajikistan,
however, ran into a bit of trouble and descended into a full blown civil war. I actually went to all the major cities involved. Khujand, Dushanbe, Kurgonteppa, Kulob, etc. and filmed them, but there were just so many details about this war
that I simply couldn’t fit them in here. I think I will make a separate video
just on this topic in the future. For now, all you need to know is that the war was fought mainly between Tajiks from the Communist Party and Tajiks from the Islamic Renaissance Party, along with several separatist groups
from the Pamirs. It went on for five years,
claiming between 50,000 and 120,000 lives and devastated the nation’s economy
and infrastructure. So many Tajiks fled to Afghanistan that today there are more Tajiks in Afghanistan than in Tajikistan. The Pamirs were severely depopulated. If not for the aid from Aga Khan IV, the Pamiris might have been wiped out entirely. I mean, even today, you still need
a special permit to enter the Pamirs and must register your passport
with the military every 100km or so. The war ended in an armistice and Emomali Rahmon, the communist leader of Kulob, rose to power and has ruled ever since. Uzbekistan also faced pressure
from the Islamic Revolution in December 1991,
just before Karimov’s election as president. A group called Adolat in Namangan
demanded a meeting with him. Adolat wanted the building housing the city Committee of the Communist Party to be turned into an Islamic center. Islamic parties
legalized and most importantly, Uzbekistan declared an Islamic state. Karimov managed to talk his way out of the
meeting, but he was alarmed. Eventually, Karimov drove Adolat out of the country and launched a campaign
against religious extremism. Many Adolat members ended up in Afghanistan, where they became increasingly radical and vowed to overthrow Karimov and establish
an Islamic state in Uzbekistan. The group was responsible
for several bombings, hostage hijackings, and multiple incursions
in the 1990s. The turmoil
in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in the 90s led us to our next topic, Islamic radicalism. You see, the new Central Asia
emerged on the global stage, just as Islam was replacing communism as the ideological
threat to the post-Soviet order. The region’s proximity to Afghanistan ensured that the fear of radical Islam
defined the region’s security agenda. Central Asia’s elites were in a difficult position as Soviet men, they found the idea of religion
meddling in politics to be unnatural and were averse
to all religious opposition. Yet Islam is also part of the
national heritage and cannot be avoided. The new presidents took their first oaths
on the Holy Qur’an, and some of them even performed the Hajj. Therefore, the Central
Asian governments must decide which forms of Islam are
permitted and which are not. While the great Islamic scholars and Sufis of the past
are revered as national heroes, other forms of Islam, especially those that bring influences from other countries, have to be countered. Each country has a religious directorate
that manages mosques, and has a monopoly over
Islamic publishing and education. Islamic activity
independent of these administrations is by definition illegal and prosecuted. The lead was taken by Uzbekistan, defiant Ulama were arrested,
or simply disappeared. Their mosques shut down and repurposed. In 1998, arrests and mosque closures
became a full blown campaign when a new law mandated that all religious activity take place in places registered with the state. If you visit mosques in Uzbekistan, you will most certainly find a sign like this at the entrance saying it is state-approved. In Tajikistan, the government turned the Ulama into civil servants and required them to wear uniforms and to read sermons
that have been pre-approved. All students studying in religious institutions abroad were ordered to return home. Tajikistan also passed a law banning
religious education at home, and banning minors from attending mosques or participating in any religious activities
except for funerals. The other three stans in Central Asia have similar policies and maintain the same distance from Islam. Meanwhile, Afghanistan saw new development with the Soviet withdrawal, the US felt that it had achieved its goals and wound down its Afghan involvement. When the PDPA government
collapsed in April 1992, the United States left the country’s fate to be decided by warring mujahideen groups and their patrons, primarily Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Iran. Amid the chaos, one Pakistan backed
militia group rose to power. The Taliban. When the Taliban captured Kabul in 1996, Osama bin laden turned 39 years old. That year, he moved to Afghanistan and began building a new base for his organization, al-Qaida. Although the two groups had very different
objectives, the Taliban was trying to create a puritanical Islamic state at home through guerrilla warfare, while al-Qaida was trying to launch a global jihad against the West and Israel through terrorism. The two groups collaborated closely. The Taliban allowed al-Qaeda
to settle in Afghanistan in exchange for financial and military
support. Al-Qaeda
fighters were trained in Taliban camps, and bin laden pledged loyalty
to Taliban leader Mullah Omar. By 2000, the Taliban
had solidified its grip on Afghanistan. It disarmed the population, restored order, opened the roads to traffic
and dropped food prices. This measures were well-received
by the population. At the same time Sharia law was imposed, female seclusion was reinstated, and anything that even remotely resembled a human statue was ordered to be destroyed. The two Buddhas in Bamiyan over 1400 years old had reached their final moments in March 2001, They were blasted to pieces by dynamite, artillery and tank shells, returning to dust and rubble. The destruction of the Buddhas made global headlines
and was widely condemned. However, little did
the Taliban knew that just six months later, their good friends in al-Qaeda
would unleash something so catastrophic, so utterly, utterly devastating that it would make blowing up
those Buddhas look like a schoolboy prank. ACT34 – 9/11 Tuesday, September 11th, 2001. The skies over the eastern United States were clear, the kind of deep September blue
that settles in just before the fall. in Boston, Newark, and Washington, D.C., 19 men boarded 4s commercial flights
bound for California. They carried box cutters, pepper spray, and the quiet terrifying conviction of martyrdom at 7:59 a.m. American Airlines Flight 11 took off from
Logan International Airport in Boston. 15 minutes into the flight, five hijackers took control of the plane. At 8:14 a.m., United Airlines Flight 175
took off from Logan as well. 28 minutes into the flight, five hijackers took control of the plane. At 8:20 a.m., American Airlines
Flight 77 departed from Dulles International Airport 31 minutes into the flight. Five hijackers took control of the plane at 8:42 a.m., the last of the four planes, United Airlines Flight 93
departed Newark International Airport 46 minutes into the flight, 4 hijackers took control of the plane. Then it began. At 8:46 a.m., flight 11 crashed into the World Trade Center’s North Tower between the 93rd and 99th floors. The explosion roared through the building. Glass, steel and paper rained down. 17 minutes after the first plane
struck the North Tower. Flight 175 crashed into the south tower
at 9:30 a.m. a fireball erupted, visible for miles. By then,
every television in America was on. And millions were watching America was under attack. At 9:37 a.m., flight 77 crashed into the west side
of the Pentagon. Fire and jet
fuel tore through the building. The symbol of American
military power was burning, but one plane was still in the sky, flight 93 by then, the passengers had learned of the attacks in New York and Washington, and they took action roughly 30 minutes
after the hijacking at 9:57 a.m.. The brave passengers fought their way to the front of the cabin and began breaking down the cockpit door. Fearing their captives would regain control, the hijackers rolled the plane and sent it to a nosedive, crashing into a field southeast of Pittsburgh at 10:03 a.m., the plane was about 20 minutes from D.C., and its target is believed to have been either the US Capitol or the White House. By 10:28 a.m., both towers in the World
Trade Center had collapsed in less than two hours. 2977 lives were lost, and the United States had suffered
the worst terrorist attacks in history. To get to China from Tajikistan, one must go through the Pamirs. And there’s only one way in, one way out. And that,
my friends, is the Pamir Highway now. Calling it a “highway” is a bit generous. The Pamir Highway is less of a road and more of a suggestion. It’s rough, it’s high, It’s bumpy. And at certain points, it feels like the planet
is actively trying to throw you off it. Comfort, forget it. Suspension, gone. Sanity, hanging on by a thread. But believe it or not, that’s not even the hardest part. No, the hardest part is actually finding
a car that takes you there In Tajikistan, going from point A to point
B is like solving a four-part riddle. You need the right car, the right price, the right people, and the right time miss one and you’re back to square one. Drinking tea with a bunch of the Dedushkas. Let me tell you, it took me two solid hours of negotiation, guesswork, and mild despair to get all four to line up. But eventually
I squeezed myself into a car that promised to take me to my first stop
in the Pamirs Qal’ai Khumb I finally found
a car to go to Qal’ai Khumb This is my new friend from Kulob, and this is his little cousin. And that’s the grandpa. we are taking this car to Qal’ai Khumb, it’s going to be very exciting. Okay, all is well. All right, so that’s the border check. if you want to enter the Pamirs, you have to apply for a special permit and all that. Afghanistan So in Qal’ai Khumb, I stayed in the same hostel “Bald and Bankrupt” stayed while he was here. And I happened to stay in the same room
“Bald and Bankrupt” stayed. We slept in the same bed. You can see a lot of people are promoting their channels
here in the hostel. Maybe I should do that too. I quite like Qal’ai Khumb peaceful little village with only a thousand residents. A little over a thousand residents. And, the people are quite nice too. And there is this quite unique way
to express their love for Tajikistan. I “heartbreak” Tajikistan. I mean, the people in this region
were involved in the Tajik Civil War and, I think they have some mixed feelings about Tajikistan. Behold, viewers. that is the land of the Afghans, Afghanistan. I’m currently in a small town
in central Tajikistan called Qal’ai Khumb by the Afghan border. The headwater of Amu Darya, the Panj River runs through here. And on the other side of the river is the Taliban country, Afghanistan. I was actually planning
to go there on this trip, but honestly,
I am reaching my breaking point. So exhausted from filming,
moving, talking and everything. The day before yesterday, I actually collapsed
while filming and couldn’t get up. Plus, there was news about foreign tourists getting shot
in Afghanistan just 2 or 3 weeks ago. So yeah, I decided to skip it this time. And this is the best I can do. The plan was to get some great shots
from here and casually bring up the extremely controversial topic of the Taliban. So, following the Soviet withdrawal
from Afghanistan in 1989, the country descended into civil war
among various mujahideen factions leading to a power vacuum and societal chaos. And in September 1994,
one prominent faction from the Afghan Civil War, largely consisting of the students
from eastern and southern Afghanistan who have been educated in traditional
Islamic schools, rose to power. This faction is known as the Taliban, which literally means students, and they promised stability
and the return of the order. Under the leadership of Mullah Omar, the movement expanded across
most of Afghanistan, shifting power away
from the mujahideen warlords. By 1996, they control approximately
three quarters of the country, and established
the first Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Then, on September 11th, 2001, the 911 happened. Three months later,
the United States invaded Afghanistan. As a result, the Taliban was overthrown on my orders, the United States
military has begun strikes against Al-Qaeda terrorist
training camps and military installations of the Taliban
regime in Afghanistan, these carefully targeted actions are designed to disrupt the use of Afghanistan as a terrorist base of operations and to attack the military capability
of the Taliban regime. Despite being underequipped
in every way imaginable, the Taliban never gave up, and the war lasted 19 years
and ten months, making it the longest war
ever fought by the United States. And in May 2021, a little over three years ago, the Taliban launched a military offensive and miraculous regained the control of Afghanistan. I’m speaking to you today
from the Roosevelt Treaty Room in the white House, the same spot where, on October of 2001, President George W Bush informed
our nation that the United States military had begun strikes on terrorist
training camps in Afghanistan. I’m now the fourth United States president to preside over American troop presence in Afghanistan. two Republicans, two Democrats. I will not pass this responsibility onto a fifth. I concluded that
it’s time to end the America’s longest war. It’s time for American troops
to come home. The Taliban’s recapture of Afghanistan and the U.S. retreat, is a story unlike anything else. Looking at this reality, the obvious question arises how did the richest and most powerful country on earth lose to these ill-equipped, backwards soldiers from one of the poorest countries
on Earth? I mean, the result was so counterintuitive that many people, even now, find it hard to believe. sitting on the edge of Tajikistan. literally, this is the edge of Tajikistan and gazing into Afghanistan. I’d like to attempt
to answer this question. How did the Taliban achieve that? I think there are three factors that we need to consider. And the first one is right in front of us. Afghanistan’s mountainous terrain. The Hindu Kush mountain range is the most prominent
geographical feature of Afghanistan. this formidable mountain chain runs from northeast to southwest. And divides the country into three distinct regions The Central Highlands, the Northern Plains
and the Southwestern plateau. This terrain makes it extremely difficult to wage war conventionally. it’s challenging for logistics, it’s difficult to get air support and even difficult to walk around this favors guerrilla tactics and insurgency, which the Afghans
have a long history of employing. The second factor has something to do with
the Afghan people’s national identity. You see, the Afghans possess a fierce sense of national pride
and independence, which makes them incredibly difficult
to control and occupy for extended periods. For hundreds of years,
since the time of the Great Game, Afghanistan has been the home
to all sorts of anti-colonial fighters. The Basmachis, the mujahideen and many,
many other groups. Perhaps as a result of all of these elements
in the gene pool Afghanistan is thought to breed the toughest,
hardest to subdue people anywhere. The desire for independence and the desire to kick
the outsiders out has always been the strongest
among all the stan countries which explained why
so many powerful countries tried to take Afghanistan and failed. The third factor to consider is Pakistan. you see, ever since the Afghan civil war, Pakistan has played a complex role in Afghanistan. Pakistan provided training camps and safe
havens within its borders for Afghan fighters and also played a logistical role in
supplying and equipping the fighters. The Basmachis, Mujahideen, al-Qaeda, ISIS and the Taliban are all closely connected
to Pakistan. In fact, the former leader of al-Qaeda,
Osama bin Laden, was killed not in his home country, in Saudi Arabia or his headquarters in Afghanistan, but in Pakistan with the support of Pakistan, the Taliban fighters always have a place
to retreat to and plan their next steps. Because of these three factors, the geography, the national identity
and the support from Pakistan. The Taliban was able to defeat
the United States and regain control of Afghanistan. You know, come to think of it, this war that took the United States and NATO
nearly two decades to fight was nothing but a tragedy. Thousands of Afghan civilians, military personnel were killed, along with thousands of U.S. and allied troops. The United States alone
spent over $2 trillion on the war effort and virtually achieved nothing. The United States aimed to transform
Afghanistan into a stable, democratic nation. However, this efforts obviously backfired. As for the initial reason
for American presence here, 9/11 well, terrorism remains a significant threat. You know, standing here,
I just see a lot of things happening. I see a bunch of Afghan ladies cleaning their carpets
across the river. Some kids, I think, swimming they are slapping each other
with a carpet or whatever. Maybe their towel? you know, just horsing around, and there are a bunch of people chasing their animals into the mountain. I think. I think there are two Taliban soldiers right there. I don’t know, maybe. Yesterday. You know what’s so crazy? Yesterday I saw a helicopter
taking off right in front of my eyes. It’s huge. fascinating thing, maybe they’re trying to send some supplies to this region, I have no idea. ACT 35 – Tomorrow Land After the dust of the 1990s and 2000 settled the five Central
Asian stans took different paths. The two resource rich countries
Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. Saw one grew increasingly reclusive, while the other opened up to the world the resource poor Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan endured
post-Soviet turmoil and remained poor. A growing population and a lack of economic activity led to massive labor migration. As much as 10% of Tajikistan’s population, 20% of Kyrgyzstan’s population, and 5 to 8% of Uzbekistan’s population
work abroad, mostly in Russia or Kazakhstan, with remittances
making up a huge portion of their GDPs. Ironically, while the Soviet Union existed, officials could hardly get Central Asians to move to cities. Now, with the Soviet welfare state gone, the economic difficulties compelled them to leave their homes. To the disappointment
of the Western Hawks. After the demise of the Soviet Union, Central Asia did not embrace liberalism. All but Kyrgyzstan developed
personal cults around their leaders. In Uzbekistan, Islom Karimov
ruled from 1990 until his death in 2016. His works were published and became
required reading for schoolchildren. All scholarly work in the humanities
and social sciences had to use his wisdom
to justify its significance. In Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon declared himself leader of the nation and president for life. If you visit Tajikistan, it’s nearly
impossible to avoid seeing his portrait at least 30 times a day. In Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev
held power for 30 years his special status as leader of the nation
was enshrined in law. Numerous institutions bear his name, and even the capital, Astana was renamed Nursultan
from 2019 to 2022, in his honor. However, the cult in Turkmenistan is on another level Saparmurat Niyazov led the country from 1985
until his death in 2006. Parliament bestowed upon him the title of Turkmenbashi,
“head of Turkmen” and named him president for life, My great leader, you are the incarnation of justice, you are the magic crystal, you are the great visionary. we, oh beloved father, great Turkmenbashi, fully approve your wise domestic and foreign policy. In 2001, Niyazov published the Ruhnama, Book of the spirit, claiming to have
written it with the help of inspiration sent to my heart by the God
who created this wonderful universe. Quickly the book became
part of the school curriculum. Government
employees were required to study it, and those who were seeking driver’s
license were tested on it. He was succeeded by Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, who proclaimed himself “Arkadag”, the Protector, and built a new cult around himself. The Protector was seen on television playing the guitar, rapping, and even DJing Gurbanguly stepped down in 2022
and was succeeded by his son Serdar. Turkmenistan is now the first country
in Central Asia to be ruled by a dynastic system. As the Soviet Union collapsed, the resource allocation structures
remained intact. Across Central Asia, governments continue to control natural resources and hold major stakes in key industries. As a result, no social forces
exist independently of the state, and corruption is rampant. Presidents sit at the top of patronage networks, granting access to resources and revenue, with the system tightly controlled by
one party and one president, it is clear why building
a cult of personality around the leader is essential, and why political opposition is ruthlessly crushed. The opposition group in Kazakhstan
was banned or murdered. The opposition group in Uzbekistan,
Adolat, aka the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan,
was ousted from the country and fled to Afghanistan and the opposition group in Tajikistan,
the Islamic Renaissance Party has been marginalized over the years, and in 2015, Emomali Rahmon declared the party
a terrorist organization and banned it. Its members also fled to Afghanistan. All five stans in Central
Asia have kept the west at arm’s length while maintaining close ties with Russia. Trade with Russia remains substantial, and Russian is still the main international language
spoken in the region. In 1992, Turkey hosted a summit
of all Turkic speaking states in Ankara, which in 2009 was formalized
as the Cooperation Council of the Turkic-speaking States. Its goal is to foster cooperation
among the Turkic nations. Turkey also sponsors many Central
Asian students to study there. Both Kazakh viewers I met in Almaty
had studied abroad in Turkey. Iran has focused on trade
and national security, particularly along its long border
with Turkmenistan and is strengthening ties
with Tajikistan Meanwhile, Arab countries like Saudi Arabia and Qatar are pouring funds into building hundreds of mosques, reviving the region’s Islamic heritage. However, China’s influence in the region is on
another level. It has become Kazakhstan’s second largest
trading partner, and Astana was where China announced the Belt
and Road Initiative to the world in 2013. In 2009, a Chinese-funded pipeline
connected Turkmenistan to Xinjiang, making China
the largest importer of Turkmen gas. Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan
are all key members of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. China
is investing heavily in these countries, building new infrastructure
and renovating old ones. Lots of historical sites in Khiva, Bukhara and Kulob were actually restored with Chinese money and China is currently rebuilding
the Pamir Highway in Tajikistan. Chinese EVs are everywhere in Central
Asia, with more arriving each day. During my journey, I even met
groups of students speaking excellent Chinese. As for the two stans in South Asia, China was among the few countries
that reopened its embassy in Afghanistan and engaged in limited
economic cooperation with the Taliban. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s ties with China
grew stronger in the 2010s, the two countries launched the
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, CPEC, aiming to shorten China’s energy supply
route from the Middle East, bypassing the vulnerable Strait of Malacca, and alleviate energy shortages
while upgrading infrastructure in Pakistan. Kazakhstan is the largest and most
prosperous country in Central Asia. its vast oil and natural gas reserves provide the basis for its economic growth. Nazarbayev gave up the nuclear weapons at the dawn
of independence, moved the capital closer to Russia, and initiated a program
to repatriate Kazakhs. Over the years, more than 1 million
Kazakhs have returned to Kazakhstan. Most of them came from Uzbekistan
and other former Soviet republics. But in recent years, even Kazakhs
in Mongolia and China are returning. This has transformed
Kazakhstan’s demographics, giving the Kazakhs
a comfortable majority in the population. Nazarbayev resigned on March 19th, 2019, and was succeeded by the Senate chairman,
Kassym-jomart Tokayev. Both leaders are shrewd, authoritarian, and at the same time very, very able. Karimov of Uzbekistan was a harsh ruler and was merciless
when facing unrest and opposition. He used the National Security Service
to maintain order, which monitored
domestic and international security. His authoritarian rule
led to frequent clashes with the UN and the US, which accused him of human rights violations. He was succeeded by Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who has eased censorship and the surveillance of civil society and allowed greater visibility of Islam. Cotton retains
its central place in the economy, although the government has made
some effort to reduce the monoculture. cotton remains a major export earner. In recent years, tourism along
the Silk Road has boomed and is likely to reshape the country’s
economy. Turkmenistan became a reclusive state
after independence in 1991, there was talk of the country
transforming into a resource rich autocracy, offering first world comforts to all its citizens. But that never happened. Today, Turkmenistan is one of the most
controlling and repressive states on Earth. By adopting a permanent neutrality policy, the regime keeps external pressures at bay. China, Russia and Ukraine
remain its main customers, but the dream of connecting to South
Asian markets via the Turkmenistan Afghanistan, Pakistan India Pipeline,
TAPI, remains unfulfilled due to Afghanistan’s instability and poor
relations between Pakistan and India. Kyrgyzstan’s experience has been quite
the opposite. The 1990s saw a profound economic crisis. One of the country’s key sectors, Sheep farming collapsed. The national livestock population
went from 12 million in the late 1980s to less than 3 million in 2008. Two presidents were overthrown
by popular revolts, and in 2010 the country experienced a terrible ethnic strife, displacing hundreds of thousands of Uzbeks
and Kyrgyzs. Lacking natural resources, the country’s
leadership opened it to the world upon independence, the economy was privatized. Press controls eased, and NGOs and advisors were welcomed. Given the spectacular beauty of its
mountains and the hope for its transition to neo liberal democracy, Kyrgyzstan was
dubbed the Switzerland of Central Asia. Tajikistan grounds its legitimacy
in the ancient Iranian heritage, claiming the longest
historical roots in the region. Relations with Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan
have been tense since independence. Disputes over resources, national identities and cities like Bukhara and Samarkand make regional cooperation a distant dream. Iran has invested heavily in
promoting the Tajik language and culture, maintains a modest presence in Tajikistan’s economy, and serves as a counterbalance
to the Turkic influence in Central Asia. However, relations with its other Persian
neighbor, Afghanistan, are more complicated due to Afghanistan’s instability. Despite this,
when I was in Tajikistan, everyone I spoke to considered Afghans
as their brothers and sisters. The bond between Tajiks
and Afghans is deep and enduring. Afghanistan, in the second Taliban era is still struggling. Foreign aid has been suspended, assets frozen and the economy has not recovered, leaving Afghanistan largely
isolated on the global stage. Food shortage and refugee crises
remain serious. In October 2023, the Pakistani government ordered the expulsion of millions of Afghans from Pakistan. Iran also decided to deport
Afghan nationals back to Afghanistan. Taliban authorities
condemned the deportation of Afghans as an inhuman act, but there’s not much they can do about it. How to resettle these returned Afghans, and more importantly, how to rebuild the country, remain the most important issues for the Taliban government. Since 2008, Pakistan has entered its fourth
democratic era. Between 2009 and 2011, under the pressure from the United States. Pakistan launched military operations
against Taliban forces in the northwest which quelled the militias there, but terrorist attacks continued elsewhere. In 2011, relations with the United States soured after the Americans killed Osama bin laden at his home less than a mile
from the Pakistan Military Academy. The United States criticized Pakistan
for allegedly harboring bin laden. As of 2025, conflicts
with India over Kashmir and with Afghanistan over the Durand Line
remain unresolved. with the threat of war ever-present. All right, folks, this is it. This is where I say goodbye. We’ve reached the end of the journey. You must be tired. I know I am. It’s been a very long, tedious and very,
very challenging journey, hasn’t it? But to me, the Seven Stans is one of the most fascinating regions I’ve ever come across. And I truly hope that one day you can go on a trip there yourself, go see the mountains, walk along the rivers, watch the sand dunes shift, run freely across vast pastures and meet people
with a different point of view. Oh, hi. If you’re watching this, congratulations, you have made it to the very end. Not a lot of people get to see this part. So for that, a heartfelt thank you. I am deep in the Pamirs now near a Kyrgyz village right over there in eastern Tajikistan,
near the Chinese border. This is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to, but it is also harsh, rough, full of danger
and extremely inclement. It took me two full days to get here. Sorry,
I have a little bit trouble breathing. This is 3500m above sea level. breathing could be a bit challenging if you’re not used to it. Anyways, I think we live in a time
where everything we see and hear can easily be manipulated by big institutions. One tweak in the algorithm. One extra space in the code can literally change how millions people think or act. You know, sometimes I have this pessimistic thought
about how humanity is degenerating and how people are becoming
mindless sheep. we eat whatever is put in front of us. We go wherever they want us to go
and we never look up. More and more people are forgetting
what having a good meal feels like. What spending ten years on something
feels like, and more importantly, the reality of life. People are quick to jump to conclusions, pick sides, ignore uncomfortable truths. Everything is becoming shorter, brighter, quicker, fancier, and in many ways shittier. Well, Jingwu Show is not and will never be part of that trend. Here videos are made long and complex, and each one of them has
its own unique characters. They will
never be picked up by the algorithm because they are destined to be watched
by the very few. You guys. As someone who considers himself as a good cook, I want you to think of me as a chef who only cook
for the most prestigious clients. I am extremely picky about my ingredients, my cooking, and my fire so that I can provide my clients with the most mind
blowing experience ever. I want to say it is my honor to serve you. I want to say thank you. Good luck and Bon Appétit. I will see you in the next one. Cheers. the end

#centralasia #southasia #sevenstans

Part One: https://youtu.be/7rwDaXRiFLQ
Part Two: https://youtu.be/HoxuqG3h63s
Part Three: https://youtu.be/y_MKVsWiW7A
Part Four: https://youtu.be/uPjkQuqbUOA
Part Five: https://youtu.be/IhdzLbBLTMc
Part Six: https://youtu.be/-3CCTZy8Uds
Part Seven: https://youtu.be/632l7LnQxUU

Hey everyone,

As expected, YT has limited the ad suitability of this episode due to certain footage in ACT 34 and sensitive topics related to Afghanistan. This means the video will generate little to no ad revenue. After careful consideration, I’ve decided not to make any edits. The episode will remain exactly as it is.

Staying true to myself and the integrity of the content means more to me than ad revenue. If that means the video gets demonetized—or even taken down—so be it. That’s the world we live in. I can’t change it, and I won’t let it change me.

If you’d like to support this channel directly, feel free to click the “Thanks” button below. Every bit of support means the world to me.

I hope you enjoy this final episode.
Take care and see you soon.

Warmly,
Jingwu

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*Videos from this channel are NOT to be redistributed.
*If you want to help me correct the subtitle in your language, please email me at jingwushow.contact@gmail.com. Your help will be greatly appreciated.

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
4:03 ACT 31 – Golden Age, Golden Price
32:23 ACT 32 – The Dying Giant
49:58 ACT 33 – The Fallout
1:00:06 ACT 34 – 9/11
1:17:17 ACT 35 – Tomorrow Land

Music:
forest find – tracktribe
Measured Paces by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100164
Artist: http://incompetech.com/

Darkness is Coming by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100584

Brandenburg Concerto No4-1 BWV1049 – Classical Whimsical by Kevin
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100303

March of the Mind by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100167

Dark Fog by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1300031

Martian Cowboy by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100349

Metaphysik by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1400056

Lithium by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1200085

Minima by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1200053

Expeditionary by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100436

Epilog – Ghostpocalypse by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100666

Crossing the Threshold – Ghostpocalypse by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100663

Jalandhar by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1400018

Lost Frontier by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1300039

Dark Walk by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100468

Meditation Impromptu 02 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100162

Meditation Impromptu 03 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100161

a fool’s theme brian bolger
no.7 Alone with my thoughts – Esther Abrami
No.2 Remembering Her – Esther Abrami
No.8 Requiem – Esther Abrami
Forest Lullabye – Asher Fulero
Melancholia – godmode
Elegy – Wayne Jones
elegy – asher fulero
Maestro Tlakaelel – Jesse Gallagher
snowy peaks pt ii – chris haugen