Globalizing Central Asia: Geopolitics and the Challenges of Economic Development - Hardcover

Laruelle, Marlene; Peyrouse, Sebastien

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0765635046 ISBN 13: 9780765635044

Publisher: Routledge, 2013

Synopsis

In this global era, Central Asia must be understood in both geo-economic and geopolitical terms. The region's natural resources compel the attention of rivalrous great powers and ambitious internal factions. The local regimes are caught between the need for international collaborations to valorize these riches and the need to maintain control over them in the interest of state sovereignty. Russia and China dominate the horizon, with other global players close behind; meanwhile, neighboring countries are fractious and unstable with real potential for contagion.
This pathbreaking introduction to Central Asia in contemporary international economic and political context answers the needs of both academic and professional audiences and is suitable for course adoption.

About this title

Review

"In this new synthesis, two of the most perceptive and industrious analysts of the region offer a sweeping survey of Central Asia's varied political terrain. The book melds a traditional geo-strategic interpretation of Central Asia's current events with a much needed geo-economic perspective, bringing together a detailed analysis of domestic Central Asian dynamics along with a broad-brush interpretation of the region's role in contemporary world politics. Rich in data and bristling with insight, this indispensable interpretation of Central Asian society and government prepares us for the numerous possibilities unfolding in Central Asia's uncertain future." --Gregory Gleason, Director, Central Asia Program, George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies

"Marlene Laruelle and Sebastien Peyrouse have written a comprehensive and up-to-date analysis of Central Asia two decades after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Their detailed accounts of relations with every significant external actor and coverage of seven major internal issues facing the region will be invaluable for anybody interested in the evolving situation in this pivotal region." --Richard Pomfret, University of Adelaide

"This book presents a remarkably comprehensive and differentiated picture of the global and regional forces that will drive Central Asian political and economic development in the coming decades. The authors' analysis is grounded in their intimate knowledge of the region and their balanced assessment of Central Asia's great opportunities and challenges. A must-read for anyone interested in this important, but much neglected part of the world." --Johannes F. Linn, Emerging Markets Forum and The Brookings Institution

"Laruelle and Peyrouse do the region justice with this perceptive and informed survey ... while factoring in what the Central Asian states themselves have going for and against them in this complex whirl of relations." --Foreign Affairs

"From the challenges facing central Asia's agricultural sector, to the difficulties of transportation when landlocked, to structural weaknesses in central Asia's industrial base and the future of its service sector, Globalizing Central Asia is a learned, critical, and thorough exploration of crucial issues affecting central Asia's present and future. Highly recommended, especially for college library economic studies shelves." --The Midwest Book Review

"The level of thoroughness and comprehensiveness with which the authors present the region is virtually unmatched in the literature. ... A must read for students and scholars in regional studies as well as practitioners. Those who want to do business with the region's countries or invest in the region's industries will also find this volume invaluable." --Asian Politics & Policy

Edition details

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0765635046
• ISBN 13: 9780765635044
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 376