Table of Contents

Introduction, Marlene Laruelle
Part I: The Legacy of the Soviet Intervention
Chapter 1: Central Asian Soldiers and the Soviet War in Afghanistan: An Introduction, Artemy M. Kalinovsky
Chapter 2: A Oral History of the Soviet–Afghan War: Interviews with Central Asian Afgantsy, Marlene Laruelle, Botagoz Rakisheva, Gulden Ashkenova, and Artemy M. Kalinovsky
Part II: Afghanistan’s Northern Neighbors: Perceptions and Challenges
Chapter 3: Afghanistan’s Multicentered Regional Foreign Policy, Antonio Giustozzi
Chapter 4; Russia’s Policy on Afghanistan, Ekaterina Stepanova
Chapter 5: Assessing Uzbekistan’s and Tajikistan’s Afghan Policies: The Impact of Domestic Drivers, Marlene Laruelle
Chapter 6: Insurgent Activities at the Afghan–Turkmen and Afghan–Tajik Borders, Bruce Pannier
Part III: The Silk Road Initiative as a US Project for Central Asia and Afghanistan
Chapter 7: Parsing Mobilities in Central Eurasia, Alexander C. Diener
Chapter 8: The US Silk Road: Geopolitical Imaginary or the Repackaging of Strategic Interests?, Marlene Laruelle
Chapter 9: The New Silk Road Initiative’s Questionable Economic Rationality, Sebastien Peyrouse and Gaël Raballand

About the Author

Marlene Laruelle is research professor, director of the Central Asia Program, and associate director of the Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at the Elliott School of International Affairs of George Washington University.

Reviews

This book is a wonderful study that tackles a question most Central Asia experts sidestep: What does being in Afghanistan’s neighborhood mean exactly? Marlene Laruelle has convened a unique group of experts to answer this question head on and, along the way, channels her deep knowledge of Central Asia and Russia to Afghanistan. The result is an excellent collection of essays that temper predictions of a region on the verge of collapse and make it clear that Afghanistan’s neighbors have been no more and no less difficult to live next to than Afghanistan itself. The book is thought-provoking reading for the world’s diplomats who will inevitably have to rethink policies in Central Asia and Afghanistan in the coming years.
*George Gavrilis, author of The Dynamics of Interstate Boundaries*

In this timely and well-edited volume, The Central Asia–Afghanistan Relationship: From Soviet Intervention to the Silk Road Initiatives, Marlene Laruelle brings together a diverse group of academics and regional experts to explain the often overlooked dynamics that exist between Afghanistan and its northern neighbors. The contributions offer a range of perspectives on the often tumultuous relationships Afghanistan has had (and hopes to have) with the states of Central Asia. Often, these were framed by the actions of outside powers, but increasingly, the countries themselves are shaping it. In this volume, the contributors demonstrate intimate knowledge of the region, providing data, explanations of events, and more locally-derived explanations for what has transpired over the past several decades. Historians and policy experts—especially those who are working to bring stability and connectivity to Afghanistan—will find Marlene Laruelle’s latest effort to be essential reading.
*Roger D. Kangas, National Defense University*

The long understudied and misunderstood set of relationships, current trends, and threats in Central Asia and Afghanistan point to what is likely to be a regional security flashpoint that may abruptly surprise us all. Marlene Laruelle has brought together some of the world's top scholars on Central Asia and Afghanistan to produce this authoritative look at this region and its fragile security relationships. This collection should be a must read for those studying the region.
*Raffaello Pantucci, Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies*