Central Asia

The disappearance of bipolar system following the disintegration of the Soviet :union:, has also changed many strategic concepts. Central Asia, as a part of the Soviet empire, has become an arena for regional and global challenges after these transformations. The region, already faced with various political, economic, social and cultural problems, soon became a location for the activities of Islamic fundamentalists, which in turn intensified regional crisis. Different socio-political problems made the ground for these activities. The basic question of this paper is: What is the role of NATO enlargement and its effects on security provision in Central Asia? This paper tries to answer that, “what role can NATO play in Central Asia in order to provide security in this region specially after September 11th and the following events”. Based on current security issues in Central Asia, America has seriously emphasized on socio-economic reforms under the” Greater Middle East” framework. Central Asian leaders are obliged to control political, social and economic crisis to prevent terrorist acts and reduce public dissatisfaction. Political transformations following the Soviet :union: collapse have clearly revealed that the roots of threat and instability in Central Asia are essentially internal. Sooner or later, leaders of these states have to resolve these threats, based on a clear understanding of regional sociopolitical realities.

The burial process of the deceased is among the most tangible evidence for reconstruction and understanding the culture of human societies, which includes both material and spiritual dimensions. Study of material evidence in archaeological excavations can contribute to partial interpretation of ideological motifs. In this context, recognizing burial practices and interpretation of objects within the grave is a manifestation of human culture and philosophical ideas of the other world, customs, religious beliefs as well as social structure and complexity. There are a few studies in this field in cultural zone of Great Khorasan with strategic importance and proximity with several cultural zones around Great Khorasan Ancient Road, although archeological excavations in recent years have resulted in specific material evidence. This article includes structural study of burials in late Bronze Age with a comparative approach encompassing cenotaph, primary, secondary and common human-animal tombs as well as origin of burial cultures. Assessment of evidences indicates similarity of burial practices of Khorasan in late Bronze period with the advanced culture of BMAC in Central Asia, which has been documented in Afghanistan, Pakistan, South East Iran, Caucasus and south Persian Gulf littoral.

Science and technology diplomacy has been considered as one of the influential tools in the international arena by many countries and even trade and political unions. The European Union has also implemented various programs with Central Asian countries. The research question is what are the goals and objectives of EU science and technology diplomacy in Kazakhstan? The results show that EU scientific diplomacy is pursued in two forms: scientific diplomacy based on technology and scientific diplomacy based on the humanities in Central Asia. For example, 4 to 7-year programs have been implemented in Central Asian countries, such as Kazakhstan include biology, genomics and biotechnology for health, information technologies, nanotechnology, knowledge-based multifunctional materials and new manufacturing processes and tools, air and space, food quality and safety. The main focus of the program is on Kazakhstan. The main objectives of these programs appear to monitor the country's nuclear activities with the aim of preventing nuclear proliferation via support from the model of neoliberal economic development, increase the capacity of civil society, and support the soft power of the union. This research will use descriptive-analytical methods and second-hand data collection.

The purpose of this article is to describe the extensive military buildup of the United States in these regions during George W. Bush presidency (Jan 20, 2001 to Jan 20, 2009) and suggest the reasons for it. Since there were also U.S. bases in the two Caucasian states of Azerbaijan and Georgia, they are included in this study as well. The countries of these strategically important regions are not only significant for their vast oil and gas reserves but also they are seen as actual markets for American goods and services. Moreover security issue seems to be important as well. Similar to the threats posed to the security of Iran from the US presence in these regions.

: Salafism and Sufism are two old Islamic movements that have had major conflicts throughout the history of Islam, which were mainly related to aspects of adherence to and respect for Islamic law and jurisprudence and different interpretations of religious texts. Simultaneously, these two movements have also had some interactions with each other, and there have emerged some individuals or groups who have combined a number of the manifestations of Sufi practices and actiond with those of Salafi and thus creating Salafi Sufism or Sufi Salafism. The Central Asian region is the cradle of a great number of Sufi orders. It has delivered great mystics to the Islamic society. Moreover, several signs of Sufism can be observed in its people’s general culture. However, the people’s inclination towards Islam at the time of liberation from the yoke of communism and the formation of Islamic groups and parties – who wanted Islam to play a greater role in governing the society – besides some countries’ cultural and propaganda exercise, it has led to the creation of various Salafi groups in the region. Naturally, Salafi’s entry into Central Asia’s mystical culture paves the way for the creation and growth of a discourse that has nurtured a combination of Salafism and Sufism in itself. The present study examines the Salafi Sufis in Central Asia and the Sufi-Salafi interactions in this region. Although there are many references on Sufism and Salafism in Central Asia, no independent reference on Salafi Sufism was found in the land.

Central Asian and Caucasian countries are among the countries that have faced numerous ups and downs in the process of nation-building, and they are currently facing various challenges, particularly in the geopolitical arena. Since nation-building is a process greatly influenced by a country's historical roots and events, Central Asian and Caucasian countries have unique coordinates despite sharing a part of history. This article examines the nation-building process in Central Asian and Caucasian countries through a comparative approach. It focuses on the practical geopolitical challenges of nation-building in these two regions. The study findings indicate that Due to differences in the social context, historical processes, and geopolitical features, Central Asia and the Caucasus countries have gone through two different patterns of nation formation. In particular, Central Asian countries face significant geopolitical challenges during this process. 

This article addresses and re-examines Marc-Anthony Karantabias’ analysis of factors that contributed to the defeat of the Sasanian Spāh by Heraclius by 627-628 CE. Karantabias’ analysis may be categorized into four (military) misconceptions with respect to the Spāh: (1) the notion that the late Sasanian Spāh lacked stirrups for the Savaran cavalry (2) the alleged refusal or lack of knowledge of the Mongolian draw which is proposed to have been of greater efficacy than the Sasanian (3-finger) bowshot (3) the notion of “Persian conservatism” leading to the Spāh’s refusal to adopt new military technologies and (4) the alleged supremacy of Steep/Central Asian and/or Hun-Turkic cavalry warfare over the Sasanians. These four misconceptions fail to be supported by a close examination of archaeological sites (e.g., Taghe Bostan) and artifacts (e.g., Sasanian stirrups, metal works, etc.), primary sources and pertinent research studies. A fifth misconception pertains to the lack of consideration of the shortcomings of the Sasanian four-Spadbed system which Heraclius was able to successfully exploit against the Sasanian empire. In conclusion, Heraclius’ successes are attributed to his exploitation of the weaknesses of the four-Spāhbed system as well as the Byzantine willingness to adopt Steppe/Central Asian technology (e.g., compound bow, iron stirrup).

Since its emergence in the Levant including Syria and Iraq, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS Takfiri militant group) selected province of Khorasan (Afghanistan and some parts of Central Asia) as its territory, thus established its sovereignty and identity under the same title. The main question underlying the current study is that what would be the main contexts and substrates for the gradual presence and influence of ISIS in the region? The main hypothesis underlying the article is that: secular authoritarian political structure, the approach adopted and inappropriate actions taken by the governments in the region in response to the extremism, extremist fundamentalist groups in the region, fragile and complex social fabric of Central Asian countries and also the presence of the nationals in the countries of the region in ISIS structure are some of the most important factors that can lead to the formation of ISIS in the region. This presence is a common security threat to Iran and India, which can strengthen the need to security cooperation between the two countries. The current article uses an analytical method, and for data collection, the article has utilized reliable library-based sources.

Syria's political and security developments and the growth of Salafist and Takfiri groups and its political, economic, and cultural dimensions have disturbed all the Middle East equations. In this regard, the role of radical Islamist groups, including ISIL and Jabhat al-Nusra, in the civil war in Syria and Iraq, along with changing the political and security equations of the Middle East, has also brought serious threats to international security. Given that the Central Asian region has been in the spotlight for a long time due to its geostrategic, geopolitical and geo-economic importance and in a sense, considered the heartland of the world; with facing many challenges such as ethnic and political crises, energy, drug trafficking, and terrorism, this is no exception. The Syrian civil war and the rise of ISIL led to a possible extension of the wave of Islamic extremism to the Central Asian region; To the extent that, many citizens and youths of the republics of this region have entered the stage of communication and cooperation with ISIL and the Jabhat al-Nusra in Syria and Iraq. In this way, the present study seeks to explain the future of political Islam in Central Asia in light of Syrian political and security developments. Given the presence and command of some of the Central Asian Islamist groups in the Syrian civil war, the spread of the threat of terrorism in the Central Asian region, Understanding of these groups, their recruiting factors to ISIL, and recognizing the future scenarios of political Islam in Central Asia confirms the need for this research.

Drug trafficking is one of the main problems in Central Asia, and addressing it requires huge efforts. However, the efficiency of these efforts is doubtful, since the more effort, the more adaptive drug trafficking becomes. In Central Asia, this problem is associated with both historical prerequisites and the socio-economic situation in the region. This article discusses drug trafficking in Central Asia as an economic phenomenon and identifies the key factors that enable public policy to be more efficient in this field. The authors have analyzed the main strategy for the development of Central Asian countries and the development of synergistic actions system for developed economies (the main consumers of Afghan drugs), which may contribute to a significant reduction in drug trafficking. The major contribution of the article is in the analysis of existing and possible new routes of drug trafficking and the development of an index to assess the country's attractiveness for drug traffickers. The authors have identified two new routes and emphasized the downward trend in the attractiveness of the traditional Northern route. The novelty of the article lies in the developed conceptual models: drug circle; upstream – midstream – downstream drug trafficking; the Index of Drug Trafficking Attractiveness.