Contents -- List of Abbreviations -- List of Contributors -- Map of Central Asia -- Chapter 1 Uncovering the "New" Central Asia: The Dynamics of External Agency in a Turbulent Region Emilian Kavalski -- Introduction -- Framing the New Central Asia -- Engaging International Agency -- Central Asia as a permissive environment for international actors -- Power vacuum in Central Asia -- Awkward statehood in Central Asia -- Confronting the proliferation of actorness in Central Asia -- "New great game" in Central Asia -- Hegemonic fragmegration in Central Asia -- Roadmap for the Volume -- Analytical framework -- Outline of contributions -- Conclusion -- Related Websites -- On the region -- By country -- Part One THE CENTRAL ASIAN AGENCY OF INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS -- Chapter 2 NATO's Partnership with Central Asia: Cooperation à la carte Simon J. Smith and Emilian Kavalski -- Introduction -- NATO Today -- NATO's Instruments of Engagement -- The Effectiveness of NATO as an Enabler of Reform -- NATO's Approach to Regionalization -- Kazakhstan -- Uzbekistan -- Tajikistan -- Kyrgyzstan -- Turkmenistan -- Conclusion -- Related Websites -- Chapter 3 The OSCE in the New Central Asia Maria Raquel Freire -- Introduction -- The OSCE in Central Asia: A Normative Actor with a Comprehensive Security Agenda -- The OSCE in Central Asia: Involvement and Purpose -- The "Regionness" of Central Asia? -- The OSCE's Regional Approach: Balancing In-Country Activities with Broader Cooperation Formats - Working Toward a Central Asian Security Community? -- Is There an OSCE Strategy Toward Central Asia? -- Conclusion: Looking into the Future of the OSCE in Central Asia -- Related Websites -- Chapter 4 The European Union's New Central Asian Strategy Ertan Efegil -- Introduction -- The External Affairs of the European Union.

Priorities and Objectives of TACIS Program: 1996-2000 -- New European Union Approaches to Central Asia after 2001 -- The European Union's New Central Asian Strategy -- In Lieu of a Conclusion -- Relevant Websites -- Chapter 5 The United Nations and Central Asia W. Andy Knight and Vandana Bhatia -- Introduction -- The United Nations and Its Agencies -- Historical background -- Peace/security and socio-economic mandates -- The United Nations and human security -- Human development and the millennium development goals (MDGs) -- The UN's Strategy in Central Asia Since the End of the Cold War -- Nuclear non-proliferation issues -- UN peacekeeping and peace-building in Tajikistan -- UN efforts to tackle drug and arms trafficking in Central Asia -- United Nations' role in combating crime and corruption in Central Asia -- The UN, the social sector, and gender mainstreaming -- United Nations and human rights -- In Lieu of a Conclusion -- Related Websites -- Part Two THE CENTRAL ASIAN AGENCY OF STATES -- Chapter 6 China and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization: The Dynamics of "New Regionalism", "Vassalization", and Geopolitics in Central Asia Michael Clarke -- Introduction -- China's Grand Strategy of "Peaceful Rise" and the Role of Central Asia -- China and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization: Toward a "New Regionalism"? -- From the "Shanghai Five" to the Shanghai cooperation organization -- 9/11 and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization -- China's Bilateral Relations with Central Asia: Toward "Vassalization"? -- Security, development and energy - the bases of Sino-Central Asian relations -- Keeping the Wolf from the Door: The Geopolitics of China's Strategy in Central Asia -- Conclusion -- Related Websites -- Chapter 7 Russia and Central Asia Marlène Laruelle -- Is Russia a "Classic" Power in Central Asia?.

A Very Evolutionary Policy: The Ebb and Flow of Russia's Agency in Central Asia -- Phase one -- Phase two -- Phase three -- Russia's "Central Asian Card": Control Over Hydrocarbons and Regional Security -- Accessing Central Asian energy resources -- Maintaining regional security -- Russian Approaches to State- and Region-Building in Central Asia -- The Well-Known International and the Less-Known Domestic Challenges to Russia's Presence in Central Asia -- Conclusion -- Related Websites -- Chapter 8 The United States and Central Asia Matteo Fumagalli -- Introduction -- The Global Hegemon and the Periphery: Understanding US-Central Asian Relations after the Cold War -- In Search of a Strategy -- US Policy and Approaches -- Evaluating US Policy in Central Asia -- Prospects for US Policy in Central Asia -- Related Websites -- Chapter 9 Turkey in Central Asia: Turkish Identity as Enabler or Impediment Brent E. Sasley -- Introduction -- Explaining Turkish Foreign Policy -- Disorientation in Turkey's Foreign Policy Orientation -- Turkish Policy Toward Central Asia -- Success or Failure in Central Asia? Turkish Identity as Foreign Policy -- The Future of Turkey's Relations with Central Asia -- Related Websites -- Chapter 10 Iran and Central Asia: The Smart Politics of Prudent Pragmatism Pierre Pahlavi and Afshin Hojati -- Introduction -- The Nature of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Comparative Historical Perspective -- Does Iran Walk the Walk? -- The Evolution of Iran's Interests and Objectives in Central Asia -- Iranian Strategy in Central Asia -- Bilateral relations -- Turkmenistan -- Tajikistan -- Uzbekistan -- Kyrgyzstan -- Kazakhstan -- Infrastructure, pipeline politics, roads, and railway networks -- Regional integration -- Economic Cooperation Organization -- Shanghai Cooperation Organization -- Iranian Strategy: Success or Failure?.

Iran's impact on state-building -- Iran's impact on regionalization -- Conclusion -- Related Websites -- Chapter 11 India and Central Asia: The No Influence of the "Look North" Policy Emilian Kavalski -- Introduction -- Dominant Patterns in India's Post-Cold War Foreign Policy -- Post-Cold War blues -- 1998 and after: nuclear assertiveness -- The Narrative Outlines of the "Look North" Policy -- India's engagement in Central Asia before 1998 -- India's engagement in Central Asia after 1998 -- Experience of managing diversity within a secular and democratic polity -- Encouraging regional cooperation in Central Asia -- New Delhi's Bilateralism in Central Asia: India's Relations with Tajikistan -- In Lieu of a Conclusion: The No Influence of the "Look North" -- Influence: understanding the power of attraction -- Not a model: the lack of vision in the "Look North" policy -- Related Websites -- Chapter 12 Japan and Central Asia David Walton -- Introduction -- An Overview of Japanese Post-War Foreign Policy -- Strategic state model -- Reactive state model -- Adaptive state model -- Japanese Strategy in Central Asia: Testing the Adaptive State Model -- Bilateral Relations -- Kazakhstan -- Kyrgyzstan -- Uzbekistan -- Tajikistan -- Turkmenistan -- Regional Integration: The Adaptive State Model in Action -- An Assessment of Japanese Strategy in Central Asia -- Related Websites -- Part Three PROSPECTS AND TRAJECTORIES FOR THE AGENCY OF INTERNATIONAL ACTORS IN CENTRAL ASIA -- Chapter 13 The Influence of External Actors in Central Asia Stephen Blank -- Introduction -- The Absence of Regional Cooperation as a Source of External Involvement -- Domestic Security as a Driver of External Intervention -- Internal Weakness and External Intervention -- Threats from External Intervention -- Bibliography -- Index.