1st Edition
Mapping Central Asia Indian Perceptions and Strategies
With renewed American involvement in Afghanistan, Pakistan's growing fragility, and China's rise in power in the post-Soviet space, Central Asia-South Asia relations have become central to understanding the future of the Eurasian continent. Mapping Central Asia identifies the trends, attitudes, and ideas that are key to structuring the Central Asia-South Asia axis in the coming decade. Structured in three parts, the book skillfully guides us through the importance of the historical links between the Indian sub-continent and Central Asia, the regional and global context in which the developing of closer relations between India and Central Asia has presented itself since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the precise domains of Indo-Central Asian cooperation, and studies three conflict zones that frame Indo-Central Asian relations: the Kashmir question; the situation in Afghanistan; and fear of destabilization in Xinjiang. The international line-up of established scholars convincingly demonstrate the fundamental necessity to define the Indian approach on these issues and provide cutting-edge insights on the tools needed to understand the solutions for the decade to come.
Biography
Marlène Laruelle is a Research Professor at the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES), The Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University, Washington DC, USA. Her main areas of expertise are nationalism, national identities, political philosophy, intellectual trends and geopolitical conceptions of elites in Russia and Central Asia.
'Laruelle and Peyrouse offer a seminal addition to the literature and partially fill the void in scholarship on Central Asia from the South Asian perspective. Given India's rise as a regional power and strategic player, this book should be on the shelf of every student and specialist of Central Asia, and is required reading for those formulating policy on the region.' Reuel R. Hanks, Oklahoma State University, USA 'India is the looming, yet poorly understood big actor in the strategic competition for the heart of Eurasia. This book offers a wealth of unique insights into how Indians themselves understand the shape and dynamics of this accelerating contest.' S. Enders Wimbush, German Marshall Fund of the United States 'Confirming the shift of power eastwards, India has been depicted as a rising global power. Yet, the complex political, economic, cultural and strategic contexts of such a rise have surprisingly been overlooked by commentators. Not anymore! This timely volume provides a rare and comprehensive overview of India's international interactions with Central Asia. The wealth of solid knowledge and sharp insights demystifies the 'new great games' in the region and constructs a prescient account of the strengths and weaknesses both of India's external relations and its Central Asian policy.' Emilian Kavalski, University of Western Sydney, Australia 'This rare collection of essays by primarily Indian scholars provides a masterful analysis of Central Asia's role in India's Look-North policy. The authors' underlying premise that the current striking gap between possibility and reality in India's relations with Central Asia is inconsistent with India's rise and Central Asia's intended geopolitical diversification, suggests a looming major change in the regional security dynamics worth paying attention to.' Rouben Azizian, Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, Honolulu, USA '... the essays are rich in argument and empirics, and the volume is a boon for an
