Raffaello Pantucci is a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) and author of "Sinostan: China's Inadvertent Empire." (Oxford University Press, April 2022)
Volatile region has historically caused problems for the rest of the world


A Kyrgyz policeman looks at a burnt armored personnel carrier outside the village of Kok-Tash near the Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan border in southwestern Kyrgyzstan in May 2021: Exchanges of fire continue to take place with casualties on both sides. © AP
Raffaello Pantucci is a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) and author of "Sinostan: China's Inadvertent Empire." (Oxford University Press, April 2022)