A new report prepared by a Washington, DC,-based think tank is calling on the Bush administration to re-conceptualize its strategic approach towards Eurasia, shifting attention away from the Caspian Basin's energy reserves, and focusing more on combating security threats in Central Asia.
The February report by the Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis, titled "Central Asia in US Strategy and Operational Planning: Where do we go from here?," characterizes US policy towards Eurasia as "more ad hoc than well reasoned in terms of future implications for US strategic interests." It goes on to suggest the Bush administration preoccupation with energy considerations has helped blur vital distinctions between the Caucasus and Central Asia.
"To the extent that energy issues enter into debates over policy options, it should be in the context of discussions as to how energy wealth can be used to stabilize the weak states along the Caspian littoral, and inhibit the decline of living standards that provide fertile recruiting grounds for radical Islam and other extremist ideologies," the report said.
The report says that, while Washington has fixated on the Caspian's abundant "hydrocarbon reserves," Central Asian security conditions have been steadily deteriorating. "The focus commanded by the Caspian [has] diverted attention away from more worrisome trends in Central Asia," the report said.
It states that social, political and economic conditions in Central Asian states have experienced a "precipitous and worrisome" decline since the 1991 Soviet collapse. The report adds that the actions of "deeply corrupt regimes" in the region are contributing to "a growing chasm between
Editor's note:
The full text of the IFPA report can be found at the organizations web site: http://www.ifpa.org
