The Central Asian republics have been commanding attention in
news
rooms around the world since gaining independence in 1991.
Importantly, foreign-policy makers and many inteational relations
experts in Moscow, Beijing, Delhi, Istanbul and recently, Washington,
D C , have been claiming that this region, its resources, and its transportation
infrastructure are of vital and strategic importance for the
globe. The great paradox is that the major world powers, divided by
thousands of miles and located in completely different geopolitical environments,
have such high stakes in this remote part of the world. The
situation is especially puzzling as the United Nations Development
Program (UNDP) in its regional report on Central Asia in 2005 put many
parts of the region on a par with the poorest countries in the world.
rooms around the world since gaining independence in 1991.
Importantly, foreign-policy makers and many inteational relations
experts in Moscow, Beijing, Delhi, Istanbul and recently, Washington,
D C , have been claiming that this region, its resources, and its transportation
infrastructure are of vital and strategic importance for the
globe. The great paradox is that the major world powers, divided by
thousands of miles and located in completely different geopolitical environments,
have such high stakes in this remote part of the world. The
situation is especially puzzling as the United Nations Development
Program (UNDP) in its regional report on Central Asia in 2005 put many
parts of the region on a par with the poorest countries in the world.