The Spectre of Afghanistan: Security in Central Asia

by Amin Saikal, Kirill Nourzhanov

Overview

Aiming to connect a number of divergent perspectives on the current state of Afghanistan, this book outlines the country's past and present instability and how this impacts and is conceptualised by its neighbours as well as by international heavyweights such as Russia, China and the United States. Given Afghanistan's extensive cross-border ethnic, linguistic, sectarian and cultural ties with its neighbours – whatever transpires in the war-torn country is bound to have regional and global security implications. This study focuses on the current formal and informal defensive policies the states of Central Asia may or may not have in place in the event of the Afghan situation deteriorating further or the Taliban-led insurgency substantially widening their influence.

The book also considers the positions and policy responses of three influential actors in the region: Russia, China and the United States. It assesses the convergence of interests between these great powers in stabilising Afghanistan, and their divergence of geopolitical objectives in the region. With President Donald Trump unpredictably upheaving American policy in Afghanistan, an assertive Russia continuing to expand its influence across Central Asia and China seeking to have a wider economic and security role in the region, this book offers a timely assessment of an internationally-important topic.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781788317672
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	01/28/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	248
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Amin Saikal is Adjunct Professor of Social Sciences at the University of Western Australia, and author of 'Modern Afghanistan: A History of Struggle and Survival' (2012), and 'Iran Rising: The Survival and Future of the Islamic Republic' (2019)

Kirill Nourzhanov is Deputy Director of the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies at The Australian National University, Australia.
AMIN SAIKAL is Director of the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies and Professor of Political Science, Australian National University, Australia.
Kirill Nourzhanov is Senior Lecturer in the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies at The Australian National University, Australia.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Chapter One: Post-2001 Afghanistan
Chapter Two: The View from Afghanistan
Chapter Three: The View from Central Asia
Chapter Four: The Central Asian Response
Chapter Five: The Role of the Major Powers
Chapter Six: The Challenges Ahead
Conclusion
Index

Editorial Reviews

A clearly written, masterfully documented and analyzed book on one of the most menacingly securitized conflicts of our times, it unpacks the long-neglected perceptions and reactions of post-Soviet Central Asian Muslim republics, fearing “spill over” from their soft underbelly, Afghanistan. Nourzhanov, an area specialist focused on Soviet and Post-Soviet Central Asia, and Saikal, a seasoned political scientist focused on Iran, Arab Gulf states and beyond, have teamed-up to produce a work of inestimable value for anyone interested in understanding the domestic, regional and global dimensions of the deepening political turmoil in Afghanistan, and the US policy failures to end its longest war in history. A must read for policy makers, area specialists and the befuddled public.” —M. Nazif Mohib Shahrani, Indiana University, USA

“ The Spectre of Afghanistan is the most trenchant contribution to the literature on security studies in Central Asia to date. Nourzhanov and Saikal are seasoned observers who succeed in casting light into the darker recesses of the region's complex, and sometimes byzantine, international relations. Their tour de force presents a comprehensive, yet comprehensible portrait of the convoluted political and cultural dynamic between the five “stans” that emerged from Soviet aegis a generation ago and their troubled neighbour lying to the south. This book will prove to be an invaluable resource for any who seek a more nuanced and profound understanding of this vital part of Eurasia.” —Reuel R. Hanks, Oklahoma State University, USA

From the Publisher