ABSTRACT
The civil war in Tajikistan was caused by a variety of factors. Among these were the collapse of the USSR, which revealed how unprepared the country was to exist independently; the traditional structure of society, in which a crucial role is played by local, regional and clan ties, with old and new elites fighting for power; the ideological dimension, with attempts to mobilise the population around Com munist, Islamist and nationalist slogans; and the rapid internationa lisation of the conflict. All these factors taken together define the highly complex structure and dynamics of the conflict, as well as the problems connected with its de-escalation.
