It is possible that a major cross-section of Americans cannot identify the location of Central Asia on a world map, yet a large number of their tax-dollars go towards foreign policy efforts in that region. From an international perspective, the West faces three major threats all of which are somehow connected to Central Asia due to its unique geographical location. The first threat is commercial in nature and by far the greatest threat. China gradually challenges the USA for the position of the premier economic powerhouse just as the USA did the same to the UK over a century ago. The second major threat to the West is the threat of fundamentalist terrorism that mainly stems from Islamic fundamentalist. Afghanistan and the Middle East are fundamentalist hotbeds and are situated very close to Central Asia. Central Asia also has a massive Muslim population. Finally, a resurgent Russia also stands as a national security threat to the USA, a situation that was recently exacerbated by an announcement that Russia is developing undetectable nuclear-capable missiles. In itself, Central Asia is of little significance to Eurasia and the greater world but its geographical location makes it a critical place of interest even for the American foreign policy.
Central Asia, also called Turkistan and informally the “Stans” is a massive area with a relatively small population, which is predominantly Muslim. In modern history, Central Asia was always under Russian rule, having been a part of the Russian Empire and later the Soviet Union. It, therefore, has a high Russian population making it highly influenced by Russia. The other side of the coin is equally true in that anyone with a strong influence in Central Asia can also develop a strong influence inside Russia itself. The West would be keen to first reduce Russian influence on the region as much and as soon as possible. The waning Russian influence would then be contemporaneously be replaced with influence from America and her allies. In the case of a future conflict with Russia, be it an actual or cold war, control over Central Asia would be critical.
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Secondly, Turkistan has a very high Muslim population that has remained Muslim for centuries. This Muslim population has also been the subject of persecution mainly during the Communist Soviet Union. Among the primary recipes for fundamental Islam is a traditional Muslim community that has genuine grievances against a European population. Most Central Asian countries also happen to be poor. The totality of the above makes the region a powerful potential bedrock for terror activities. The nations can be used as a conduit for the drug trade, which is one of the means used by terror groups to make money. Poor or fundamentalist members of these countries can be used to conduct actual terror activities. The vast empty lands in Central Asia can provide grounds to train potential terrorists. In the inverse, if NATO is influential in the region, it can be able to infiltrate and destroy terrorist cells in Southern Asia and the Middle East.
Finally, when it comes to China, the significance of Central Asia lies in proximity. China is seeking to expand its economic tentacles all over the world almost as a form of colonialism. Part of China’s foreign policy involves undermining its economic rival, the USA. China has been taking over territory all over Asia, Africa, and even the Americas. China’s seemingly bottomless coffers and unconditional trade deals have proven to be very appealing to third world countries. Preventing China from having economic control over Central Asia would be an economic win for America. At the same time, America being commercially dominant in central Asia would place it in a vantage position in the inevitable and imminent economic war with China.
