First hat-tip here.
The NYT is not allowing perma-links on the issue. Try to check out their coverage.
Tajikistan, the country with which I’m most familiar, has a great deal of potential in terms of human capital. It would be a shame if the corruption of the government kept it from realizing its potential. While the initial blush of post-Soviet headiness in the international community has faded, I believe there is enough aid and interest in Tajikistan that it still has a short window in which it could develop a sustainable economy.
I do not profess to know the Tajik people as a whole. I do, however, know 5 individual Tajiks and a little bit about each of their immediate and extended families. Each one of them speaks at least 4 languages fluently and has a work ethic and life story that makes me feel embarrasingly soft and lazy. Any time someone talks about the potential of human capital, I think of my Tajik friends. I am glad that you saved me the work and connected them both. I pray for their national development and for the prosperity of their people.