Gas from Central Asia may soon be making its way into the EU through two planned oil pipelines. If this succeeds it could mean major economic benefit to Central Asia and could possibly allow the EU to lessen its dependency on oil from Russia and the Middle East. Not only do the countries producing the oil get benefit, but so do the countries which the pipeline crosses. Paired with the upcoming BRI this region may see serious economic growth. This could particularly help Kyrgyzstan whose democracy is taking a major hit due to officials being accused of taking bribes, the most notable being Mr Jeyenbekov who admitted to buying votes which allowed him to win the recent election. If their economy flourishes, I’m sure that they will find a way to work out the flaws in their government and continue on the path of democracy. In turn, a domino effect might take place and other countries in the region will turn to democracy once their economy picks up.
