The Central AsiaAfghanistan Relationship

From Soviet Intervention to the Silk Road Initiatives

Contributions by Gulden Ashkenova, Alexander Diener, Antonio Giustozzi, Artemy M. Kalinovsky, Marlene Laruelle, Bruce Pannier, Sebastien Peyrouse, Gael Raballand, Bota Rakisheva, Ekaterina Stepanova Edited by Marlene Laruelle

Publication date:

14 August 2017

Length of book:

282 pages

Publisher

Lexington Books

ISBN-13: 9781498546546

Central Asia is a relatively understudied neighbor of Afghanistan. The region is often placed into a number of historical and political contexts—a section of the Silk Road, a pawn in the “Great Game,” the “spillover” state that exemplifies the failure of US foreign policy—that limit scholarly understanding.

This edited volume contributes by providing a broad, long-term analysis of the Central Asia–Afghanistan relationship over the last several decades. It addresses the legacy of Soviet intervention with a unique first-hand selection of interviews of former Soviet Central Asian soldiers that fought in the Soviet–Afghan War. It examines Afghanistan’s norther neighbors, discussing Russia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan—their strategy for Afghanistan, their perception of challenges and opportunities of the country, and patterns of cooperation and conflict. The collection also looks at recent US strategic initiatives in the region, in particular the New Silk Road Initiative that envisions a growing Central Asia–South Asia connection.

Introduction, Marlene Laruelle
Part I: The Legacy of the Soviet Intervention
Chapter 1: Central Asian Soldiers and the Soviet War in Afghanistan: An Introduction, Artemy M. Kalinovsky
Chapter 2: A Oral History of the Soviet–Afghan War: Interviews with Central Asian Afgantsy, Marlene Laruelle, Botagoz Rakisheva, Gulden Ashkenova, and Artemy M. Kalinovsky
Part II: Afghanistan’s Northern Neighbors: Perceptions and Challenges
Chapter 3: Afghanistan’s Multicentered Regional Foreign Policy, Antonio Giustozzi
Chapter 4; Russia’s Policy on Afghanistan, Ekaterina Stepanova
Chapter 5: Assessing Uzbekistan’s and Tajikistan’s Afghan Policies: The Impact of Domestic Drivers, Marlene Laruelle
Chapter 6: Insurgent Activities at the Afghan–Turkmen and Afghan–Tajik Borders, Bruce Pannier
Part III: The Silk Road Initiative as a US Project for Central Asia and Afghanistan
Chapter 7: Parsing Mobilities in Central Eurasia, Alexander C. Diener
Chapter 8: The US Silk Road: Geopolitical Imaginary or the Repackaging of Strategic Interests?, Marlene Laruelle
Chapter 9: The New Silk Road Initiative’s Questionable Economic Rationality, Sebastien Peyrouse and Gaël Raballand

The Central Asia–Afghanistan Relationship provides nine chapters with historical and contemporary analysis about an understudied issue involving Afghanistan. The authors offer insight into not only Central Asian perspectives, but Russian strategy and various interests in the Central Asia–Afghanistan relationship. These diverse approaches, ranging from oral histories to economic analysis, give scholars and policymakers much to consider by transcending the emphasis on Iran and Pakistan related to Afghanistan.