The five Central Asian states of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan,
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan constitute an area of
increasing importance in global politics. The region currently
serves as the main route for transporting American and NATO
supplies and personnel into Afghanistan. Its Turkic Muslim peoples
share ethnic and religious roots with China's Uighurs in
neighboring Xinjiang, where some Uighurs have connections to the
Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan, fueling Beijing's already
acute fears of terrorism and separatism.
Perhaps most importantly, the Caspian basin holds immense
reserves of oil and natural gas. Countries rich in hydrocarbons --
like Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan -- can benefit
greatly from this wealth, but often they must rely on foreign
companies (usually backed by foreign governments) to develop these
resources. Revolts in Kyrgyzstan (in 2005 and 2010) and Uzbekistan
(in 2005); Tajikistan's civil war (in the 1990s); and continued
terrorist incidents (2010--2011), strikes, and suicide bombings in
Kazakhstan (in 2011) have contributed to concerns about stability
in the region.
In Civil Society and Politics in Central Asia, a prominent group
of scholars assesses both the area's manifold problems and its
emerging potential, examining the often uneasy relationship between
its states and the societies they govern. A meticulously in-depth
study, the volume demonstrates the fascinating cultural complexity
and diversity of Central Asia. Small, landlocked, and surrounded by
larger powers, Central Asian nations have become adept at playing
their neighbors against each other in order to maximize their own
abilities to maneuver. The essays in this book look beyond the
surface of Central Asian politics to discover the forces that are
working for political change and continuity in this critical region
of the world.
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