China Xinjiang and Central Asia

<p>Central Asia and Xinjiang – the far north-western province of China – are of increasing international importance. The United States, having established military bases in Central Asia after September 2001, has now become a force in what was previously predominantly a Russian sphere of influence; whilst China, Russia and Iran all continue to exert strong influence. These external, international influences have had a significant impact on local politics, with the overthrow of a long-standing regime in Kyrgyzstan, continued unrest and opposition to the current regime in Uzbekistan and the intensification of Chinese control in Xinjiang. </p><p>This book explores the effect of global and local dynamics across the region: global influences include the ‘War on Terror’ and international competition for energy resources; local dynamics include Islamic revival, Central Asian nationalism, drugs trafficking; economic development and integration. The authors argue that these multiple challenges, in fact, unite Xinjiang and Central Asia in a common struggle for identities and economic development.</p><p>This book provides a comprehensive overview of the region’s historical significance, the contemporary international forces which affect the region, and of current political, economic and cultural developments. </p> <p>1. China, Xinjiang and Central Asia – ‘Glocality’ in the Year 2007 <em>Donald H. McMillen </em>2. The ‘Centrality’ of Central Asia in World History, 1700–2007: From Pivot to Periphery and Back Again? <em>Michael Clarke</em> 3. Positioning Xinjiang in Eurasian and Chinese History: Differing Visions of the ‘Silk Road’ <em>James A. Millward</em> 4. ‘Failed States’ on the ‘Perilous Frontier’: Historical Bases of State Formation in Afghanistan and Central Asia <em>Geoff Watson </em> 5. Xinjiang and Central Asia: Interdependency – Not Integration <em>Ann McMillan</em> 6. Uyghurs in the Central Asian Republics: Past and Present <em>Ablet Kamalov </em> 7. Xinjiang and Central Asia since 1990: Views from Beijing and Washington and Sino–American Relations <em>Colin Mackerras </em>8. Central Asia’s Domestic Stability in Official Russian Security Thinking under Yeltsin and Putin: From Hegemony to Multilateral Pragmatism <em>Kirill Nourzhanov </em> 9. ‘Glocality’, ‘Silk Roads’ and New and Little ‘Great Games’ in Xinjiang and Central Asia <em>Michael Clarke</em></p>