ABSTRACT
Perhaps the most significant and mutually beneficial development which occurred in Turkish relations with the former Soviet states in Central Asia is that of the security ties between the Turkic countries and Turkey proper. From the Black Sea to the Great Wall of China they helped Turkey's distant cousins to protect themselves from a wide range of threats to their infant sovereignties. This chapter examines priorities and modalities of security cooperation between Turkey and the Central Asian states after September 11. It focuses on compatibilities of similar efforts by the United States of America, the contradictions of such efforts with those of other regional powers. The chapter concludes with the particular threats that will exist in the foreseeable future and how they may be countered with Turkey's help. A vast number of citizens of modern Turkey trace their roots to Turks who entered Asia Minor a millennium ago, but never severed their ties with Central Asia.
