Battling Misperceptions: Challenges to U.S. Security Cooperation in Central Asia

Abstract

The northern region of U.S. Central Command's (USCENTCOM's) area of responsibility - the five states of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan - is removed from the current main centers of attention, Iraq and Afghanistan. When issues concerning Central Asia are addressed, it is often in the context of the region being a crossroads or transit area. Whether one focuses on energy reserves and export routes or the stability of supply lines to forces in Afghanistan, there is a tendency to view Central Asia as a part of the world over which states compete. It is in this context that nearly two decades of active U.S. engagement in the Eurasian region have been viewed. Over the years, official statements and newspaper articles from these states have pointed to an increasingly negative perception of the United States and its role. The current situation thus raises the question of how the United States found itself in a relatively weak position in the region. More important, how did the current perceptions come about?

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2008
Accession Number
ADA517952

Entities

People

  • Roger D. Kangas

Organizations

  • National Defense University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Asia
  • Central Asia
  • Cooperation
  • Energy Security
  • Foreign Relations
  • Governments
  • Human Rights
  • International Law
  • International Relations
  • National Security
  • Security
  • Training
  • Treaties
  • United States
  • Ussr
  • War Colleges

Readers

  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.