Islam, Oil and Geopolitics By Elizabeth van Wie Davis and Rouben Azizian, eds. (Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 2007. 288 pages)

Abstract

Emerging from the heap of the Soviet empire into a backwater landmass,
the CentralAsian republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan,
and Uzbekistan have been increasingly gaining in significance and
importance as the rumblings of a new Great Game is being sounded on their
territory.According to this book, the three great powers – the United States,
Russia, and China – are expected to play determinate roles in the politics and shaping of this region’s evolution on the world stage. The role of these
newly independent republics, however, is less clear or easy to forecast,
however, for they seem to be still in the process of forging their national
identities and deciding upon the thrust of their global relations, alliances,
and interests.
In addition, whether they will continue to be able to maintain their
newly gained independence, particularly given their vulnerability as landlocked
countries, remains a significant question. Russia, their earlier master,
is seeking to reassert its position in what it considers to be its natural sphere
of influence. The rising neighboring Chinese giant is developing both economic
and strategic interests beyond its borders and into that region. The
American superpower is intruding as a major player into both countries’
backyard under the pretext of fighting terrorism and spreading freedom and
democracy (p. 2). The outcome of the interplay of sometimes traversing yet
frequently conflicting geopolitical as well as economic interests is what this
book seeks to explore. Fusing the explosive elements of geopolitics, religion,
and energy, this four-part book brings together twenty international
policy and security analysts in a conversation about the meaning, from different
perspectives, of a post-9/11 world to the United States and its allies
(actual or potential), Russia, and China, as well as to regional powers and
the CentralAsian republics ...