The Central Asia Region

The Central Asia Region

The central Asia region includes a small number of countries that have large and expansive land areas. Many of the states in this area were part of the Soviet Union. The unique and important thing about the region is the political and economic partnerships that have continued to exist between the member countries with Russia even after the collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).

Question 2

In an article published in the BBC world service, the US accuses Russia of arming Taliban fighters in the Afghanistan regions as a way of destabilizing the region (Azami para. 2). Top ranking officials of the US military have, however, been cautious in handling the issues of suggested support of armed conflict from the Russian government citing the lack of convincing evidence regarding the claims. Afghan officials have had mixed reactions to the allegations with some supporting while others refuting. Never the less, both Russia and the Taliban have refused to accept the claims.

Question 3

One of the central concepts of the readings is the strength of the Russian empire. The central Asia region is one that was part of the larger Russian empire, and this is the leading cause of the continued positive relations between the modern day Russia and central Asia states. During the early periods of the Russian empire, Russia became the first European nation to measure itself against the west (Strayer and Nelson 576). Their interest in Afghanistan could be perceived as that seeking to challenge the authority initiated by the western forces already operating in Afghanistan. The claims made in the article could be linked to the desire by Russia to control the region of central Asia, which sometimes includes Afghanistan. Here, the Russians could be seeking to reestablish the Russian empire of the past.

Works Cited

Azami, Dawood. “Is Russia Arming the Afghan Taliban?” BBC World Service, 2018, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41842285.

Strayer, Robert W., and Eric W. Nelson. Ways of the World: A Brief Global History. 3rd ed., New York, NY:Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2015.