Abstract

The Taliban is resurgent in Afghanistan while Chechnya still struggles under a shadow of violence, and the nations surrounding them are barely more stable. Add in the significant reserves scattered throughout Central Asia and you have a volatile political cocktail that makes the region, in Rob Johnson’s words, the “new Middle East.” In Oil, Islam and Conflict, Johnson provides an essential analysis of the region’s tumultuous history and uncertain future.
Johnson examines the problems that have plagued the region, including civil wars in Afghanistan and Tajikistan and burgeoning Islamist terrorist movements in several nations. He explains the complex role played by narcotics, ethnic tensions, and the potential wealth from oil and gas reserves in the region’s political maneuverings, and delineates the complex links between civil violence and the policies of Central Asian governments on such crucial issues as human rights, economic development and energy.
A timely investigation, Oil, Islam and Conflict will be required reading for all those invested in the threat of terrorism and the future of energy security.
"Johnson presents a comprehensive survey of the region (plus Afghanistan), emphasizing developments in each republic since 1991. . . . A good introduction for general readers. Recommended." — G. A. McBeath, Choice
Rob Johnson is an independent historian and personal development planning coordinator at the Centre for Academic Practice at the University of Warwick. He is also the author of A Region in Turmoil, also published by Reaktion; British History, 1870–1918; and The Changing Nature of Warfare, 1792–1918.