Introduction: Is There a ‘New Middle East'?

T he six newly independent Muslim republics of the former Soviet Union – Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan (Kyrgyzia), Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan – have redefined the Middle East. ¹ Their independence caught the entire world – including the republics themselves – unprepared. As the new republics began their difficult quest for national identity, economic rehabilitation and the consolidation of domestic and foreign policies, other countries, particularly those of the Middle East, had to reconsider their interests and adjust their policies to the possible ramifications, new opportunities and novel challenges.