Central Asia’s Fragile Security Context

Central Asia, courtesy of Cacahuate/Wikimedia Commons

Central Asia

Energy resources, historical and cultural affinities, and outright political expediency have revived strategic interest in Central Asia. This week, we look at the external actors who are interested in the region and how local states are exploiting this interest to fulfill their own political objectives. Given this trend, we then ask whether closer regional and economic cooperation can actually occur or not. Finally, we look at some of the domestic challenges to the region’s security, with a particular emphasis on the threat posed by political Islam.

Central Asia’s ‘New Great Game’

29 Jul 2013 / Special Feature

External powers have revived their strategic interests in Central Asia. Today, Stephen Blank outlines how these competing interests are creating a new Great Game in the region. Sébastien Peyrouse and others then consider whether it is possible for these parties to work together in fulfilling their objectives. More on «Central Asia’s ‘New Great Game’»

The Foreign and Security Policies of the Central Asian States

30 Jul 2013 / Article

Despite the potentially suffocating interests of external powers, the Central Asian states still have enough political space to pursue their own foreign and security policy agendas. In today’s Q&A session, the CSS’ Stephen Aris reveals the domestic and external factors that help shape these policies. More on «The Foreign and Security Policies of the Central Asian States»

Central Asian Regional Integration and Cooperation

31 Dec 2012 / Publication

How successful have past efforts been to foster economic integration and cooperation among the Central Asian states? According to Johannes Linn, the region’s states have gone down this road before. They’ve been repeatedly hindered, however, by fragmented and weak institutional cooperation. More on «Central Asian Regional Integration and Cooperation»

Central Asia: Region in Decline

01 Aug 2013 / Special Feature

Because of its lackluster attempts at regional integration, Central Asia continues to face serious security problems. Today, our partners at the ICG show us how this regional governance vacuum constitutes a major risk to the region’s security. More on «Central Asia: Region in Decline»

Political Islam in Central Asia

02 Aug 2013 / Special Feature

Following yesterday’s analysis of the region-wide governance crisis in Central Asia, Arne Seifert looks at the role of political Islam in this fragile context. He believes that the region lacks a moderate counterweight to Islamist extremism, a deficiency that may eventually lead to conflict. More on «Political Islam in Central Asia»

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