In: Securitization and Democracy in Eurasia, pp 361–374.
Against the background of the expansion of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), this chapter analyses the phenomenon of urbanisation in Central Asia and its political and social implications. The main argument is that major cities have emerged as important economic and political centres, but that these also are focal points for ethnic and social conflict which threatens regime stability. While the BRI contributes to sustainable urban development, it has so far done little to attenuate the problematic political and social consequences of urbanisation.
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