Tajikistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia, bordered by the countries of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan and China.

After gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, Tajikistan suffered a devastating civil war that lasted until 1997. The war was waged between a number of factions divided along clan lines. The non-Muslim population, primarily Russians and Jews, were subject to particular persecution and most fled the country. Emomali Rahmonov, who took power soon after independence, negotiated a peace deal in 1997. Though elections were held in 1999, most opposition members claim they were rigged and Rahmonov was almost unanimously elected. While Tajikistan encourages active participation of the opposition in the government, elections tend to be corrupt and manipulated in the favor of the ruling party. Once the poorest country in Central Asia, Tajikistan has experienced consistent economic growth in recent years. This has been aided in large part by the development of industrial and transportation infrastructures. However, economic growth and recent prosperity has also been linked to a steadily increasing drug trafficking network, which many foreign observers believe has led to corruption in parts of government.