The present study offers an assessment of security concerns and sources of unrest and possible threats to the peace following the Soviet collapse in 1991. It deals with the transition period of the five Central Asian States from a Communist system to a democratic one. Economic difficulties, border issues, and global competition pose risks to regional security. Other volatile and widespread elements that manifest in ethno-national and ethno-territorial conflicts, poverty, unemployment, arms smuggling, and drug-trafficking have also been dealt with. The book focuses on the growing influence of USA, Russia, China, Iran and Turkey in the Central Asian states. The book would be of great interest to scholars, policy makers and academics involved in the research on the Central Asian studies.
