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.

Until recently, most people arriving in Central Asia found little to interest them. The few who lived there were mostly nomadic, following their herds across vast grasslands. They lived in tribal societies and their wanderings across mostly arid land sometimes brought them into conflict with neighbours.

Ancient Greeks, Persians, Mongols, and Russians have come and gone. But, it wasn't until the Soviet Union took control of the region in the 1920s that national boundaries appeared in the form in which they are recognizable today.

Under Soviet rule, borders were set up that were equal roughly to where tribal societies lived. Where the people were mostly Kazakhs, the Republic of Kazakhstan was formed. Tajiks live in Tajikistan. Uzbeks ... well, you get the pattern. However, after many centuries of intermarriage, the different ethnic groups in Central Asia are hard to tell apart.

In 1991, the Soviet Union fell apart, and the republics of Central Asia were on their own. This was not entirely to their liking.

According to Central Asian expert, Martha Brill Olcott, "Few people in the world have ever been forced to become independent nations. Yet that is precisely what happened to the five Central Asian republics Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan in 1991 when the Soviet Union dissolved." she said. "These people wanted civil liberties, but not necessarily freedom as citizens of new states. Each republic was named for a local nationality, but was based on the borders of a state that had, in fact, never existed. Therefore, all these groups have border claims on one another, and large populations in the other's territory on which to base such claims."

While border disputes divide these nations, there are some unifying factors. Various forms of the Turkic language are spoken by most of the peoples of the region. Communication between Azeris in the West and Kyrgyz people 2,500 kilometres to the East is at least theoretically possible. Of course, during the 70 or so years of Soviet domination, people were forced to speak Russian. Now, they are going back to their traditional languages and experts say Turkic is likely to develop as a common tongue over the next generation.

There is also a common religion. Arabs invaded the southern area in the 7th and 8th centuries AD, introducing the local population to Islam. Gradually, this new religion spread across Central Asia and the majority of followers adopted the more moderate Sunni version. During the Soviet era, religious observance was discouraged, but now the people are finding their way back to Islam.

The legacy of the Soviet period will dominate Central Asia for many decades to come. Under communist role from Moscow democracy was a joke. Prior to Soviet control, the area was controlled mostly by tribal chiefs, so there is no democratic tradition to which to return. The result is a dictator in every country and the disengagement of many people from the political process. (This is covered in more depth on page 8).

The Soviets have also left behind them an environmental cesspool. Mining and mineral processing were carried out with virtually no pollution controls. Chemical and fertilizer factories spewed thousands of tonnes of goop into the air. Nuclear weapons testing released radioactive materials in northeastern Kazakhstan.

The biggest disaster of all has been the draining of the Aral Sea to provide irrigation for a poorly planned scheme to grow cotton. This was started in Central Asia in the 1950s. The Aral Sea used to be about the size of Lake Huron; its maximum length was 428 kilometres and its maximum width was 292 kilometres. It is now less than half the size it was. Pesticide and fertilizer run-off that had built up on the seabed is now exposed. Winds pick up these toxic residues and dump them on surrounding villages causing residents to suffer throat cancer, liver damage, respiratory diseases, and immune-system disorders. The effect on wildlife has been even more catastrophic.

The story is the same in Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, you name it--excessive irrigation and unrestrained use of agricultural chemicals have severely de graded soil quality. None of the governments in Central Asia can afford anything in the way of a clean up. Now, there's an oil and gas boom in the region. Exploitation of this resource will almost inevitably lead to more pollution woes.

But, at least the oil money will be able to deal with one of Central Asia's other common features--poverty. In a perfect world that would be so, but Central Asia is a long way from being perfect. The governments of every nation are corrupt and incompetent. What oil wealth is not stolen will be lost to useless projects. It's very unlikely any of the ordinary people will benefit from oil money or that it will do much to lower unemployment rates as high as 80% in many places. In addition, more than 50% of the region's people are younger than 25.

The brew of poverty, disgruntled youth, corruption, and repression causes many experts to get nervous; one of these is writer Ahmed Rashid. Based in Pakistan, Mr. Rashid has written a couple of books about Central Asia, the most recent is Jihad: The Rise of Militant Islam in Central Asia (March 2002). He sees the rise of groups such as the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) as the logical reaction to the social problems of Central Asia. The Islamic Renaissance Party and Adolat (or Justice) are other, less militant, groups.

Central Asia's Ferghana Valley is where the Uzbek, Kyrgvz, and Tajik borders converge. This has been the main area for IMU operations, but it has fought farther afield. Guerrillas from the IMU were active in Tajikistan's long civil war. And, Ahmed Rashid has written that at one time, the IMU had 3,000 people fighting in Afghanistan alongside the Taliban and al-Qaeda. He says the group is connected to Osama bin Laden who provides funding.

Money to support the IMU is also said to come from government sources in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, but the bulk of its cash is raised through smuggling opium and heroin.

Poppy growing, from which opium and heroin are produced, was a major industry in Afghanistan. With prodding and money from the West, the Taliban government did a good job of closing down the drug industry. Now, the Taliban are gone and the farmers in Afghanistan are planting poppies again. The very lucrative drug business is up and running once more and providing cash for the rebel groups that control the trade. Government officials at all levels also profit from drug trafficking making it especially difficult to control.

At the same time, major powers are competing for influence in Central Asia. The oil and gas reserves so far discovered suggest this may be the world's biggest producer of these fuels in the future. China and Russia have always exerted a powerful influence in Central Asia, the potential energy bonanza makes them even more interested.

Since 11 September 2001, the United States has also been engaged in the region. The terrorists who brought the World Trade Centre tumbling down in New York were connected to the Taliban government of Afghanistan. To defeat the Taliban, the U.S. needed some military bases near Afghanistan from which to launch its strikes. Islam Karimov President of Uzbekistan, stepped forward and offered his country. The Americans happily accepted the offer, which was followed by similar help from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

The arrival of the U.S. military has really annoyed Russia and China. They now have to share domination of Central Asia with an outsider and they don't like this. The Central Asian states love the new arrangement; they now have a friend to help them stand up to their powerful neighbours.

The Americans have also stepped up their involvement in the Caucasus region to the west. Lying between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, Caucasia has always been a place of friction. Fiercely independent mountain peoples have resisted every effort to bring them into larger national units (see page 13). Half a dozen armed rebellions are on the go, the most vicious being the war in Chechnya.

Within hours of the collapse of the twin towers in Manhattan, the governments of Georgia and Azerbaijan were on the phone to Washington. They wanted to know how they could help the U.S. in its war against terrorism. By giving us an air corridor over your territory to supply our bases farther east was the reply.

For the governments of the Caucasus the pay off is the same as for those in Central Asia: having a friend as big and powerful as the United States gives a little insurance against being beaten up by the neighbourhood big guy.

Back at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Martha Brill Olcott has some ideas about how to bring stability to Central Asia:

* Disarm all rebel factions followed by an arms embargo;

* Destroy all narcotic drug production and distribution networks; and,

* Focus on free-market economic reforms in the region.

It's easy to set out what needs to be done, but a very different proposition when it comes to making it happen.

THE SILK ROAD

The Silk Road went smack through the middle of Central Asia. The road, really a network of trails, linked China and Rome and was an important trade route.

About 100 years before the birth of Christ, the peoples of Central Asia began to learn about Chinese silk. What they found out made them want to have this lovely cloth and trade opened up. Word of the silk spread west and traders started a flourishing business carrying it into Europe. Caravans rarely travelled the full length of the Silk Road, but would carry goods to trading centres such as Tashkent and Samarkand. Goods would then be put on another caravan to continue their journey.

Along with the goods travelled ideas, technologies, and religions. Buddhism was brought to China in the 1st century AD along the Silk Road from northern India where it had developed seven centuries earlier. In the same way, Islam arrived in Central Asia from its birthplace in the Arabian Desert.

THE WARRIOR NOMADS 

For 2,000 years, the dominant lifestyle in Central Asia was nomadic. But, societies that are constantly on the move often lack technologies such as pottery and metalworking; there's no time to set up such things as foundries and kilns before moving on. The nomads of Central Asia developed a solution to this problem; through warfare they took what they needed from the few settled peoples in the region.

The nomadic life demands huge expanses of land to support a thinly scattered population. This does not lend itself to central political leadership and control.

To be a leader in this kind of society success depends on organizing raids on other, preferably richer, neighbours. It seems this long tradition of conflict still influences Central Asia today.

FACT FILE

The oil and gas reserves of the Caspian Sea region are estimated to represent up to 35% of world's supply.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe held a Central Asian Heads of Mission conference in Tajikistan in October 2002.

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES:

1. In the 19th century, Russia and Britain engaged in what some historians call "The Great Game" in Central Asia. The peoples of the region were used as pawns in a complicated chest match in which the two countries played for control of the region and the Indian sub-continent. Appoint a team of students to research The Great Game and present a report to the class. (Website--http//www.o.xuscom.com/ greatgame.htm)

2. Big-power competition over Central Asia will likely end in tears unless the parties involved can be persuaded to cooperate. Through discussion decide which of-the following might be best able to bring, about peaceful development of the region: North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, United Nation, Non-Governmental Organizations, or some other, perhaps new, group.

Websites

Canada in Central Asia http://www.parl.gc.ca/ InfoComDoc/37/1/FAIT/ Studies/Reports/faitc11-e. htm

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace--http:// www.ceip.org/

The Central Asia Pages http://www.oxuscom.com/ centasia.htm

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development http://www.ebrd.com/

U.S. Centre for Defence Information (Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan)--http://www. cdi.org/terrorism/imu.cfm