NATO and Central Asia: Security, interests and values in a strategic region

2009 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Vinnikov
Keyword(s):  
Central Asia ◽  
Core Values ◽  
Common Interest ◽  
Democratic Values ◽  
Partnership For Peace ◽  
Central Asian ◽  
The Military

AbstractThe author provides an analytical overview of NATO's relations with, and policies towards, its Central Asian Partners. Since 11 September 2001, pursuing deeper engagement with Central Asian governments responds to the — at times conflicting — requirements of realpolitik and of advancing core values upon which the Alliance was founded sixty years ago, and which are also enshrined in its Partnership for Peace (PfP). In analysing this tension between pragmatism and idealism, the article focuses on five main aspects. The author concludes that NATO's approach towards Central Asia reflects an ever-present/inherent tension between pursuing security imperatives, underlying interests and core values. The result is a complex and somewhat uneasy policy, which seeks to reconcile these at times contradictory elements. Hence the Alliance has pursued enhanced engagement with Central Asian Partners in the belief that through daily cooperation in key areas of NATO and/or common interest, some core democratic values would eventually be incorporated into Partners' approach towards security, the role of the military, and international co-operation, thus benefiting the long term process of democratisation.

The military-political situation in Central Asia in the context of the growing instability in Afghanistan

2022 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 43-80
Author(s):  
Z. A. Kokoshina
Keyword(s):  
Central Asia ◽  
Russian Federation ◽  
Economic Potential ◽  
Political Situation ◽  
Asian Region ◽  
Central Asian ◽  
The Russian Federation ◽  
Expert Community ◽  
The Military

The Central Asian region due to its economic potential and strategic signifi -cance has traditionally been of particular importance for Russia’s foreign policy. It was therefore not surprising that a serious deterioration of the political situation in Afghanistan in summer-autumn 2021 caused by the military defeat and the subsequent collapse of the pro-Western regime followed by the seizure of power by the Taliban raised serious concern of the Russian leadership. The developments in Afghanistan have attracted an increasing attention of the expert community, prompting a fl urry of comments and forecasts. Although many of these papers were published hastily, their assessments and conclusion were usually based on the long-term observations. This paper attempts to provide an overview of the military-political situation in the Central Asian region as it was caught by a new crisis in Afghanistan and as it is seen by both Russian and foreign experts. The fi rst section outlines positions and interests of the key regional and non-regional actors that have a signifi cant impact on the military-political situation in Central Asia. The second section examines the response of the Russian Federation to the situation in Afghanistan after the Taliban took power. Finally, the third section provides an overview of the latest expert comments and reports that attempt to assess possible implications of those events for the regional military-political dynamics and the national security interests of the Russian Federation.

Problems of military-political interaction between the countries of the West and Central Asia at the turn of the XX–XXI centuries

2020 ◽  
pp. 27-33
Author(s):  
Boris G. Koybaev
Keyword(s):  
Central Asia ◽  
The United States ◽  
Military Bases ◽  
Islamic State ◽  
The West ◽  
Regional Environment ◽  
Western Influence ◽  
Central Asian ◽  
Political Interaction ◽  
The Military

Central Asia in recent history is a vast region with five Muslim States-new actors in modern international relations. The countries of Central Asia, having become sovereign States, at the turn of the XX–XXI centuries are trying to peaceful interaction not only with their underdeveloped neighbors, but also with the far-off prosperous West. At the same time, the United States and Western European countries, in their centrosilic ambitions, seek to increase their military and political presence in Central Asia and use the military bases of the region’s States as a springboard for supplying their troops during anti-terrorist and other operations. With the active support of the West, the Central Asian States were accepted as members of the United Nations. For monitoring and exerting diplomatic influence on the regional environment, the administration of the President of the Russian Federation H. W. Bush established U.S. embassies in all Central Asian States. Turkey, a NATO member and secular Islamic state, was used as a lever of indirect Western influence over Central Asian governments, and its model of successful development was presented as an example to follow.

INDIA AND THE COUNTRIES OF CENTRAL ASIA: TOWARDS EACH OTHER

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 230-241
Author(s):  
Erkin Baidarov ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Central Asia ◽  
Transport Infrastructure ◽  
Human Potential ◽  
Global Coordinate System ◽  
Communication Policy ◽  
Central Asian ◽  
Policy Program ◽  
Independent States ◽  
New Generation

The beginning of the second decade of the 21st century in the context of relations between India and the countries of Central Asia was marked by the emergence of a new conceptual program – «Connect Central Asia Policy» («Connection / Communication Policy with Central Asia»). If in 1992 India only established diplomatic relations with the new independent states of Central Asia, then it took another twenty years to establish wider contacts with the region of India. This is largely due to the new generation of Indian leaders who appreciated the "new" role of India in the global coordinate system. The need to solve their own political, strategic and economic problems, as well as understanding the need for Central Asian countries to solve their own problems in developing economic and human potential, transport infrastructure, etc., allowed the official Delhi to determine its niche at the intersection of mutually beneficial interests, which resulted in «Connect Central Asia Policy» program.

Central Asia After Three Decades of Independence

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Central Asia ◽  
Gender Equality ◽  
International Security ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Central Asian ◽  
Central Asian Countries

On the 30th anniversary of the dissolution of the USSR, this book collects selected contributions which analyse patterns of stability and transformation that characterise the politics and societies of three Central Asian countries—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan—along with those of Central Asia as a region. In particular, this edited volume investigates gender equality discourses in Uzbekistan, the electoral rights of people with disabilities in Kyrgyzstan, neo-realism in the regional context of Central Asia, the role of Islam in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan as a provider of international security as well as the EU’s support of civil society and social capital in Kazakhstan. With contributions by Nora Becker, Dr. Shalva Dzebisashvili, Aziz Elmuradov, Prof. Dr. Matthias Kortmann, Dr. Aliia Maralbaeva, Laura Karoline Nette, Dr. Chiara Pierobon and Dr. Steve Schlegel.

Money as a Marker of Cultural Continuity and Change in Central Asia

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOE CRIBB
Keyword(s):  
Central Asia ◽  
Full Range ◽  
Cultural Continuity ◽  
Continuity And Change

This chapter examines the role of coins or money as a marker of cultural continuity and change in Central Asia. It explores the full range of surviving coins to create an overview of coinage in the region and suggests that the origins and progress of coinage in ancient Central Asia can be seen as creating for the region an emerging tradition framing both the long-term and the innovative elements which characterize the coins of the region as contributors to a unified pattern. The findings reveal that, for more than 1,000 years, the coinages of ancient Central Asia were part of a continuous tradition which illustrated the Greek and Iranian cultures of the region combined with the strong adherence of local settled communities to their nomad origins.

Emerging food and nutrition security challenges in Central Asia—implications for BRICS and emerging economies

2020 ◽  
pp. 909-932
Author(s):  
Suresh Chandra Babu ◽  
Kamiljon Akramov
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Central Asia ◽  
Emerging Economies ◽  
Food And Nutrition Security ◽  
Nutrition Security ◽  
Central Asian ◽  
Security Challenges ◽  
Food And Nutrition ◽  
Critical Issues

In the last two decades, Central Asia has gone through several transitions in institutions and governance, each with consequences for the agricultural sectors in the region. Since their independence, the five countries Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, have made considerable progress towards increasing domestic food production. However, food security in the region is still threatened by major geopolitical and socio-economic challenges. Lack of support from institutions to advance farming has resulted in the low level of food security in the region. Lack of research and extension of support to farmers and low capacity for designing evidence-based policies are major challenges to the region’s food security. This chapter identifies critical issues and challenges faced by Central Asian countries for attaining short-term and long-term food and nutrition security, and the implications for BRICS and other emerging economies.

Faith and Culture

2019 ◽  
pp. 303-314
Author(s):  
Atola Longkumer
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
South Asia ◽  
Central Asia ◽  
Religious Expression ◽  
Traditional Medicines ◽  
Nation States ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
Central Asian ◽  
Global Christianity

Of the two Asian regions, socio-economically, South Asia presents both prosperity and abject poverty, embedded in varying traditions. Central Asian states are well-endowed with natural resources and sustain a diverse cultural heritage against a backdrop of Islam. The indigenous shamanic cultures that have sustained myriad indigenous people (often described by terms such as tribals, Adivasis, minorities) for generations across South Asia need to be recognised along with its globalisation. Healing, use of traditional medicines, the position and role of women, caste hierarchy and the relationship with the other are incorporated into South Asian Christianity. ‘Anonymous Christians’ have also contributed to concepts such as ‘insider movements’ to discuss embedded followers of Jesus. In Central Asia, Charismatic Christianity is finding particular resonance. The relative freedom of religious expression has given opportunities for Christians to witness to the gospel. The potential ecumenical relationship with the existing Orthodox Church presents an opportunity for global Christianity. Christianity has received fresh interest in Central Asia since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the formation of the nation-states of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Theological creativity along with prophetic proclamation will be needed to balance these challenges of culture and faith in the region.

scholarly journals Tajikistan’s Perspective on Eurasia

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 100-107
Author(s):  
Jovid Ikromov
Keyword(s):  
South Asia ◽  
Central Asia ◽  
World Economy ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
The West ◽  
Eurasian Continent ◽  
Central Asian ◽  
The World ◽  
Central Asian Countries

In this article, the place of Central Asia, particularly of Tajikistan, in the Eurasian continent has been examined. The slow and confident transfer of engine of the world economy from the West to the East and South increasing the role of the countries located between them. Located between Europe, Russia and South Asia, five Central Asian countries are interested in the development and participation in broader transcontinental trade and transit corridors connecting in all directions. Tajikistan has a unique opportunity to become a hub of trade and transit as it is located at the crossroads of growing ties between South and Central Asia.

Formation of Administrative Mechanisms for Central Asia Countries’ Transit Economy Development in Conditions оf Integration and Instability. Part 2

Upravlenie ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 55-67
Author(s):  
Зоидов ◽  
K. Zoidov ◽  
Медков ◽  
A. Medkov
Keyword(s):  
Central Asia ◽  
Common Interest ◽  
Passenger Traffic ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Income Sources ◽  
Central Asian ◽  
International Transport ◽  
Transit Services ◽  
Business Entities ◽  
The Right

Methods related to formation of management mechanisms for development of Central Asia countries’ transit economy in conditions of integration and instability have been considered in this paper. The transit economy is the business system in which the receipts from the transmission of energy, energy commodities, water resources, freight and passenger traffic through the country’s territory, as well as provision of transit services constitute a weighty part of the revenue for authorities, businesses and population in the territory, one of the foundations of their welfare. Development of cross-border transportation of goods and implementation of transport and transit potential of Russia and Central Asian countries can and should become a substantial income sources for business entities, all level budgets and population, as well as the engine for industrial and technological upgrading, institutional and organizational evolution for the economical systems of countries and integration associations. Market advantages and disadvantages of the main projects related to construction and modernization of communication lines in the region have been presented, prerequisites for creation of transport corridors’ crossing points and formation of transport and logistics centers (nodes) in the States’ territory have been revealed. It has been shown that although the Central Asia States are competing for the right to become such centers, their common interest is to maximize the use of all transport and transit potential of the region that provides the transit economy stability. Emphasis has been placed on the development of international transport corridor North — South, the conclusion of preference for the use of its new eastern branch passing along the route Uzen (Kazakhstan) — Gorgan (Iran) through the Turkmenistan territory has been justified.

Central Asia

2020 ◽  
pp. 508-542
Author(s):  
Pierre Siméon
Keyword(s):  
Central Asia ◽  
Historical Survey ◽  
Main River ◽  
Central Asian ◽  
Number Of Publications ◽  
Islamic Archaeology ◽  
The 19Th Century ◽  
Central Asian Republics ◽  
Vast Territory

This chapter explores the Islamic archaeology of Central Asia. Central Asian medieval ities were investigated by Russian researchers since the last quarter of the 19th century but the results of these excavations remain little known in the west. The predominance of historical survey studies, extensive excavations, and an impressive number of publications provides a basis for understanding the organization and distribution of the Islamic Central Asian cities. Their interactions within this vast territory and with the Middle East emerge in contemporary debates. Trade plays a major role in these contacts, and the sedentary-nomadic interface stimulated the economy. Nevertheless, few studies bring together the work carried out over the long term and enable an understanding of the variation and evolution of Islamic trade and urbanism in Central Asia. Outlines of the medieval societies are known, but the details remain unclear. This chapter follows the main river basins (Amu Darya and Syr Daria) and steppic and desert interfaces to understand the basis and extent of Russian archeology in Central Asia from the Tsarist period (c. 1850–1917) until today. The construction of a field of Central Asian Islamic archaeology and the main challenges confronting researchers in the five Central Asian republics are also considered.

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