Azerbaijan, Central Asia, and Future Persian Gulf Security

摘要

After decades of communist domination, Azerbaijan and the Central Asian Countries(CACs) are reemerging in an increasingly critical, geopolitically significant region of the world. With an estimated 60 million population, and with its natural resources, this area constitutes an important region in its own right. The area's potential volatility could ripple throughout the Persian Gulf and Affect Turkey, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. Those three states are involved in an ongoing struggle over influence in the region, and their policies and actions toward Azerbaijan and the CACs should be watched carefully for signs of increased intervention. Although the rapidly changing political situation within the region and on its periphery may cause details of the analysis to become outdated, the fundamental ethnic, religious, and economic cleavages identified will remain and continue to shape regional trends. To date, there have been several important policy developments among Azerbaijan, Central Asia, and the Persian Gulf states. The effects of events in Azerbaijan and Central Asia on stability in the Persian Guld must also be weighed against influences emanating from Europe, the Middle East, and Southwest Asia.