Terrorism and Militancy in Central Asia

The book is basically an account of the problem of terrorism and militancy in the five newly independent countries viz. Kazakhustan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kirgyzstan and Asia the product of the collapse of the erstwhile Soviet union. Immediately after independence, the region witnesses political and economic chaos due to immediate withdrawal of Russians, poor institutional structure and poor democratic ethos. The rise of Taliban on the region’s southern border –Afghanistan and its intervention in central Asia created further troubles for the republics. The governments due to their inexperience, poor economy and other domestic compulsions in the initial days dealt with the situation as a common law and order problem. But with the passage of time they have been able to recognize the extent, nature and scope of the problem. Instead of single handedly fighting the problem they are trying to group together with regional and international bodies in their adventure. The book deals with the militant and terrorist development in the region till 2002. In the aftermath of the attack in US on 11 September 2001, world’s perception about terrorism has changed drastically. The following intervention by the US in Afghanistan for revenge also has had its deep impact on the security scenario of central Asia. The book in its first chapter deals with the complex theories of terrorism and the more complicated issue of its definition. Even though, terrorists do not follow a set pattern in their activities the chapter gives a holistic idea about the concept and the perceptions about it. The important issues like the financing of terrorist activities, the possible causes behind the growth of terrorism in that region, their objectives and the various groups and elements involved have been discusses thoroughly and with adequately supporting documents. The book is a detail and research oriented publication with information sources and extremely useful for those interested in this area of study.