Inner Asia: Making a Long-Term U.S. Commitment
Abstract
The strategic importance of Inner Asia to the U.S. has been highlighted as a result of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and the war in Afghanistan. The Central Asian countries--the five former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan--have been crucial to the U.S. for access to bases, over-flight rights and rail supply lines to wage the war. However, Inner Asia represents significant interests to the U.S. beyond the current war in Afghanistan. The region possesses some of the world's largest deposits of oil, natural gas, uranium, and gold. The area is a key transit zone for drug trafficking from Asia to Europe and beyond. Inner Asia has huge stores of conventional weapons and unconventional weapons sites remaining from the former Soviet Union. Militant Islam is on the rise. The region borders the great powers of Russia and China as well as Iran and the cultural zones they represent. For these reasons Inner Asia represents significant national interests to the United States. The 2002 National Security Strategy states the goals that the U.S. will pursue to further its national interests. Inner Asia stands out as a test of the Bush Administration's commitment to its stated National Security Strategy. This paper discusses the Bush Administration's National Security Strategy goals and their application to Inner Asia and the importance of the U.S. to make a long-term commitment. The primary focus will be on the Inner Asia countries of the former Soviet Republics of Central Asia, but will also look at the influences of China and the border region of the western Chinese Xinjiang province, Iran, and Afghanistan. Current U.S. policy is analyzed for each National Security goal to include U.S. involvement with the international community and provide recommendations. The paper concludes that the United States does not have a strategic vision for Inner Asia and that it must develop a long-term multilateral regional strate7
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 07, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA414971
Entities
People
- Carol D. Clair
Organizations
- United States Army War College