Terrorism, Geopolitics, and Multinational Security Cooperation in Central Asia

Abstract

On 22-24 February 2006, the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies
(APCSS) held this conference on the complex security environment of
Central Asia as the region continues to struggle with the phenomena of terrorism
and religious extremism, poverty and corruption, political instability
and authoritarian governance, as well as great power (China, Russia, and the
United States) suspicion and rivalry. These challenges are not uniquely
Central Asian, but the region seems to be particularly vulnerable to them as
its young nations are undergoing a significant political, social, and economic
transformation. How the region copes with these issues will extend important
lessons to the world as a whole.
This forum examined the trilemma posed for Central Asia and the
broader Asia-Pacific region. First, for the war on terror in the region to be
successful, it must evolve into well-implemented stabilization and reconstruction
efforts as well as dramatic improvements in governance and
human rights. Second, no country on its own can alter the situation in
Central Asia, for such an effort requires cooperation between all of the major
powers and stakeholders in the region (India, Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey).
The magnitude of the problem of terrorism, which affects most if not all
countries in the region, should preclude another variation of the Great Game.
Finally, while the number of regional organizations and security forums in
Central Asia has been growing, the low degree of coordination among them
triggers counterproductive rivalries and plays into the hands of extremist
elements. Since terror knows no borders, what happens in Central Asia significantly
impacts developments elsewhere.
Although the counterterrorist effort in Central Asia has successfully
marginalized the Taliban and al-Qaeda, the localization of the terrorist threat
means that new autonomous extremist cells continue to emerge in Central
Asia. The sources of proliferation of radical Islam can be found in socioeconomic
deprivation, widespread corruption, and political ...