Central Asia-Russia's near abroad or crossroads of Asia? / Richard Pomfret.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Pomfret, Richard W. T., author.

Series:

Cambridge elements. Elements in Soviet and Post-Soviet history 2753-5290

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Asia, Central--Foreign relations--Russia.

Asia, Central.

Russia--Foreign relations--Asia, Central.

Russia.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (59 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2024.

Summary:

This Element assesses the claim that Central Asian countries hold a special position as Russia's near abroad. The region has been important for millennia, and only after conquest in the second half of the nineteenth century did Russia become important for Central Asia. This connection became stronger after 1917 as Central Asia was integrated into the Soviet economy, with rail, roads, and pipelines all leading north to Russia. After independence, these connections were gradually modified by new trade links and by new infrastructure, while Russia's demand for unskilled labour during the 1999-2014 oil boom created a new economic dependency for Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic. In 1991, political independence could not be accompanied by economic independence, but over the next three decades economic dependence on Russia was reduced, and the Central Asian countries have felt increasingly able to adopt political positions independent of Russia.

Contents:

Cover

Title page

Copyright page

Central Asia - Russia's Near Abroad or Crossroads of Asia?

Contents

1 Introduction

1.1 Central Asia and Russia

1.2 A Roadmap

2 Incorporation into the Tsarist and Soviet Empires

2.1 Central Asia before the Russian Conquest

2.2 Conquest and Tsarist Rule

2.3 Revolt and Revolution

2.4 Central Asia in the Centrally Planned Economy

2.5 Dissolution of the Soviet Union

2.6 Where Are the Boundaries in and of Central Asia?

3 Economic Change since 1991

3.1 Independence and the Transition from Central Planning

3.2 The Resource Boom, 1999-2014

3.3 New Economic Directions and Regional Cooperation

4 Redirected Economic Relations and Multi-vector Foreign Policies

4.1 Multi-vector Diplomacy

4.2 Relations with China and the EU

4.3 Responses to Russian Expansion (Georgia 2008, Ukraine 2014 and 2022)

4.4 The Russia-Ukraine War and the Landbridge

4.5 Implications of Alternative Eurasian Rail Routes

5 Looking Forward

Note on Abbreviations

Glossary of International Agreements since 1991

References and Further Reading

Acknowledgements.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 10 Jan 2025).

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

1-009-50776-1

1-009-50777-X

1-009-50779-6

OCLC:

1574116377