Central Asia was the cradle of civilization. It was also a meeting place for different cultures: Slavic, Sinic, Turkish, Persian, Arab and Indian. As a meeting point between east, west, north and south, it enjoyed an unequivocally important position in Asia and served as a route for the exchange of products and goods, as well as faith and culture. Mackinder's notion of the Eurasian “Heartland” was simply a conceptualization of its meaning. It is not surprising that the region has been associated in the nursing arena of politics and geoeconomic inclination among the great powers. He witnessed the clash between the land and Russian empires in the nineteenth century, popularly called the Great Game. It was part of Russia and the tsarist country for almost a century, bringing fundamental changes in the political, economic and socio-cultural life of the kingdom. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The Soviet disintegration in 1991 led to the birth not only of five independent countries, but of a new political region within world politics. The 5 countries went through a difficult transition from a state-controlled economy to an economic system and from a one-party system to various booster political regimes, which successfully maintained a mostly stable and profane political system and followed a balanced and rich in nuances. Surrounded by the two great powers Russia and China, in the shadow of the unstable and terrorism-prone Af-Pak region and in the part of Persia and therefore the Arab world, the achievements of the Central Asian countries are portrayed as commendable. World Focus magazine sought to contribute to the educational discourse on Indocentric world affairs. This special issue of the journal is on “Geopolitics of Energy in Central Asia.” It features a selection of articles by specialists, students and researchers. Discussing energy-related issues in Central Asia, the articles highlight the various interests of regional and global players in Central Asia – competition as well as cooperation. The energy potential of Central Asia has been critically assessed and therefore the challenges ahead are highlighted. India's viable choices to find fruitful dialogue with Central Asian states are off limits. Some non-traditional topics were also covered. The impact of oil and gas based economies on the environment and society was mentioned. Central Asia is endowed with vital oil and gas resources, mainly marketed by Kazakhstan and Turkmenia and, to a lesser extent, Asian countries. Although it cannot compete with the oil and gas resources of the Gulf, the Central Asian region is very important for its various energy sources and its proximity to large energy customers (China, Europe and India). This made it the main focus and locus of divergent interests of the great powers. Russia had dominance over the Central Asian energy market. it was through Russian pipelines that Central Asian oil and gas was transported to Europe, even in the post-Soviet era. With rising energy costs and vital investments in energy-related infrastructure, the region has witnessed a relatively stable economic process. The countries have sought to reduce their dependence on Russia and have continued to build energy ties with several countries. China has become one of the region's major oil and gas traffickers. It has also invested extensively in energy-related infrastructure in the region. The involvement of the North American country, unlike the other great powers, is further attributable.
tags