Central asian policy of the United States of America after the breakup of the Soviet Union

Central Asia, economically and geopolitically, is an important region ofthe Asian continent, occupying areas adjacent to several nuclear powers,such as Russia, China, India and Pakistan. It is located in proximity to Iran, apotential nuclear power, and is a major repository of oil, natural gas, gold,uranium and other natural resources. The extent to which the United Statesshould be involved in Central Asia was a topic of significant debatethroughout the 1990?s in both the policy and academic communities. Whilesome argued that the energy wealth of the Caspian littoral states made theregion critical, most energy specialists saw the region as a fairly smallcontributor to the global energy market, especially compared with the GulfStates and Russia.U.S. relations with the Central Asian states date back to the early1990?s, shortly after the collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics(USSR) made these countries independent. Although the contacts involvedeconomic and military assistance and, in the case of Kazakhstan, increasingtrade interests, the overall engagement effort of the early 1990?s can best bedescribed as ?limited? and ?inconsistent?. The United States assessed itssecurity and economic interests in the region as fairly narrow and Americanpolicymakers were uncertain of Central Asian regimes? reliability and, rather,concerned about their human rights records and economic and foreignpolicies. Although the United States had previously developed relationshipsof varying warmth and intensity with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan during the decade since their independence,the region was far from a priority for Washington due to its ?landlocked? and?remote? geographic position.The motivations behind the US foreign policy towards Central Asia aremuch more complex, and involve serious geopolitical, military, and economicconsiderations. Soon after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United Statesmoved to engage the strategically placed states of Central Asia. Keyelements in this strategy included multiple pipelines to help the countries ofthe region benefit from their energy wealth, humanitarian efforts to stave offthe collapse of some of the countries' social structure, civil society programsto develop modern political structures, cooperative efforts to obstruct theexport of nuclear arms and weapons of mass destruction, and somedevelopment aid to help economic modernization.As security tensions nurtured by terrorist groups formed in Afghanistanlate in the decade, the United States also provided a modicum of securityassistance. The challenges facing the Central Asian countries are indeeddaunting, with serious implications for the United States and its allies. CentralAsia's stability also is threatened by fundamental problems of religiousextremism, ethnic conflict, poverty, unemployment, political oppression, statefailure, and isolation from the rest of the world.After the events of September 11, 2001, the United States' nationalsecurity interests in Central Asia underwent a drastic shift. The U.S. hasbeen involved in the region—in terms of foreign aid, military-militaryengagement programs, and energy resource development—since 1992.However, after September 11, it became clear that there was a securityvacuum in the region that posed a serious threat to U.S. national interestsand had to be addressed directly. Meanwhile, Washington needed theassistance of the states of the region (through bases, overflight rights, logisticsupport, etc.) to prosecute Operation Enduring Freedom; even more critically,the attacks exposed the danger that fragile countries like Afghanistan andpotentially some of the states of Central Asia could become the breedingground for international terrorist groups aimed at the United States. It wascritical to the national interests of the United States that it greatly enhancesits relations with the five Central Asian countries and helps them find ways totake the political and economic reform measures necessary for long-termprosperity and stability.Security issues have thus taken priority in U.S. policy approachestoward the region since 2001, but the U.S. is still very much concerned withaccelerating economic growth, fostering political development including thepromotion of human rights, and facilitating international integration in CentralAsia. These factors are seen as interrelated. U.S. policy in the region isbased on the understanding that achieving long-term stability in Central Asiais a primary objective, but will not be possible without significant internalreform in Central Asian republics. As a result, the United States is pursuingits policy objectives in Central Asia through a combination of diplomacy,relationship building, and foreign assistance, in addition to increasing itsmilitary presence to pursue the campaign in Afghanistan. The evolution ofU.S. security policy toward Central Asia will be a crucial component of theU.S. national security strategy.