ABSTRACT
The ebb and flow of ethno-linguistic, religious and military history makes it one of the richest fields of study bar none. Beyond the pure historic value, researcher finds the roots of contemporary political and military problems in past conflicts. The twenty-first-century scene in Central Asia and the Caucasus will remain complex and fluid, lacking the intensity of the nineteenth century's "Great Game" between the British and the Russian Empire, or of the twentieth century's ideologically driven confrontation between the USSR and the West. Central Asia and the Caucasus are a classic case of the multilateral security environment, and pretending otherwise is counterproductive and may lead to disastrous policy decisions. America and the rest of the West are facing multiple policy failures in dealing with Central Asia and the Caucasus. This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book.
