Central Asia
Snapshots
Laxman
Bahroo and J. L. Khayyam Coelho
Central
Asia, the perennial penumbra of empires, has once again gained
importance and captured world headlines.
The land of war-like Turcomans, ancient cultural centers,
the lucrative Silk Road, and the Great Game briefly fell into
obscurity as world wars and ideological struggle preoccupied
global consciousness. In
the post Cold War era, and especially the post 9-11 era, Central
Asia has reacquired its lost pre-eminence.
Strategically bordering the major regions of Asia, the
Russian Federation, China, Indian Subcontinent and the Middle
East, it has become the destination of choice for regional and
global powers seeking to expand their influence.
MAP
1 (Political)
The
pendulum of strategic thought has oscillated between the
contrasting theories of Sir Halford Mackinder and Nicholas
Spykman. Mackinder
believed that the area constituting Central Asia formed the
pivotal "heartland" and its importance summarized in
the famous aphorism: He who controls the Heartland controls
the World Island; He who controls the World Island, controls the
world. Spykman
disagreed because Mackinder's formulation discounted the
influence of sea power. Instead,
Spykman proposed the "Rimland" concept, regions that
have access to the sea as well as the interior land mass. It
comprised of Western Europe, the Middle East, Indian
Subcontinent, and Southeast Asia. This concept too has a
matching aphorism he who controls the
Rimland rules Eurasia; who rules Eurasia controls the destinies
of the world.
MAP
2 (Physical)
After
nearly a century, the heartland has regained its prominence, as
the newly independent republics find their footing on the way to
nationhood. Countries from the surrounding regions have
established military, diplomatic and an economic presence in the
region motivated in part by exploration, academic study,
competition, religion, and greed. Dubbed the New Great
Game, the
world has become interested in the region’s natural resources,
its people and its conflicts.
Energy conduits crisscrossing the region are the new and
more enduring Silk Road, the great ancient commercial artery
binding the Ganges and the Yellow River to the Near East and the
Mediterranean. Central
Asia has the potential to become the most significant trade
artery of tomorrow, linking together China, India, Middle East,
Russia and the fringe of Europe.
Therefore the New Great Game is merely a
reshuffling of priorities, protagonists, and level of intensity
cloaked in a new garb; the underlying motivations have been the
same since time immemorial.
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