Central Asia: A Gathering Storm?

by Rumer,Boris Z.

• ISBN13: 9780765608628
• ISBN10: 0765608626
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-06-30
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

The societies of Central Asia are besieged from within and without. The political elites -- virtually unchanged despite the transition to independent statehood -- battle radical Islamic movements and other oppositional threats that are continuously fueled by economic instability, corruption, environmental deterioration, and the collapse of social services. The heightened U.S. presence in the area, in connection with the military action in Afghanistan, is likely to unsettle the situation further, even while bolstering the incumbent regime.

This survey of political, economic, and social developments in Central Asia offers geopolitical context, unparalleled coverage, and analytical depth to our understanding of a region that can no longer be safely ignored.

Table of Contents

List of Tables	vii
Preface	ix
Acknowledgments	xiii
Map	2	(1)
Part I: Overview
The Search for Stability in Central Asia	3	(66)
Boris Rumer
Part II: Security
The Conflict in Afghanistan: Conditions, Problems, and Prospects	69	(45)
Sultan Akimbekov
Regional Security in Central Asia: Military Aspects	114	(55)
Rustam Burnashev
Part III: Foreign Policy Framework
Central Asia Between the Gravitational Poles of Russia and China	169	(39)
Konstantin Syroezhkin
Central Asia and the European Union	208	(37)
Murat Laumulin
Part IV: Islam and Politics
The Central Asian Nexus: Islam and Politics	245	(54)
Evgeniy Abdullaev
Islam in Uzbekistan: From the Struggle for ``Religious Purity'' to Political Activism	299	(34)
Bakhtiar Babadzhanov
Part V: Economics
Central Asia: Development Under Conditions of Globalization	333	(43)
Stanislav Zhukov
Challenges to Economic Policy in Central Asia: Is a Miracle Possible?	376	(53)
Eshref Trushin
Eskender Trushin
Index	429	(13)
About the Editor and Contributors	442