Articles from Canada and the World Backgrounder (March 1, 2003)

Title	Author	Type	Words
(Tables of different indicators for Central Asia).			992
Afghanistan.			1458
Armenia.			786
Azerbaijan.			1559
Clash of civilizations? Central Asia is where east meets west, where Islam meets Christianity, where modernism meets traditional societies, and where a whole lot of trouble could brew up if those who make important decisions are not very careful.			2616
Georgia.			1681
Iran.			1405
Iraq.			3224
Kazakhstan.			996
Kyrgyzstan.			1008
Land of division: lying between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, the mountainous Caucasus region has been notorious for centuries as a place of feuds and fighting; outsiders get entangled in the battles at their own peril.			2117
Map of Central Asia.			2
Quote ... unquote.			338
Tajikistan.			1061
The gathering storm: although not part of what geographers call Central Asia, Iraq and the events unfolding in the country have an enormous impact on the region.			3708
The Great Game continues: during the 19th century, Russia and Britain competed for influence in Central Asia in what historians call "The Great Game;" now, a new Great Game is being played in the region.			2061
The heartland theory.			489
Tricksters and tyrants: the human rights group Freedom House rates all countries in Central Asia as "Not Free." Among neighbouring states, only three are rated as "Partly Free. "This is a region of the world where dictators and despots rule.			2372
Turkmenistan.			1288
Uzbekistan.			1232
Winning the peace: one way or the other, Saddam Hussein is very unlikely to survive as leader of Iraq, but the question of what comes next is the real puzzler.			1715