Chapter 3: “The shape of the security order in the former USSR”, by M. Sussex
Matthew Sussex, in his witty approach wonders why twenty years after the ‘New World Order’ that scuttled the former USSR, key questions regarding the sources of insecurity are still unanswered. Bearing the uncertainty in mind, Matthew Sussex dedicates this chapter of his book into examining the security order that is emergent in the territory that belonged to the former USSR. Sussex is very particular about the roles that different organizations and institutions play in contributing to the security order.
In his wisdom, Sussex finds that the space that was the former Soviet Union can be best characterized as a zone reflects what he like to refer to as Russian ‘constrained primacy’. The author of the book gives many reasons throughout the chapter why he holds this position. One of the predominant reasons is the fact that any chances of developing an over-arching structure of a security architecture that is satisfactory to the strategic objectives of both extra-regional and regional powers are still bleak. In this regard, the author fathoms that since the former USSR cannot satisfy the strategic objectives or the region and the neighboring economies, there will always be security structures that are antagonistic in terms of perspective and approach.
Finally, the author argues that attempts develop new types of architecture for managing the post-Soviet space have been ruined by fundamental disagreements. The result has been a Russian state that his abound with power but limited by declining centrifugal pull because of the use of economic incentives to encourage peripheral states to engage in multi-vector foreign policies.
Chapter 6: “Why not more conflict in the former USSR? Russia and Central Asia as a zone of relative peace”, by B. Kernen and M. Sussex
Additionally, any clashes between states have been localized and short-lived. To exemplify this, the author highlights different conflicts that have take place in Central Asia. However, the author is quick to reiterate the low extensity of the conflicts of the post-soviet era, with the exception of the Russo-Georgian conflict.
This features predominantly as the main theme of this chapter, the relative stability across the space of the former USSR. The author discusses the reasons for the relative peace in the region. The author also examines whether the prevailing peace will continue in the future. In the views if the author, the most potent determinants of this is the relationship between Russian and Asia, although he reckons that international players also have an influence.
Chapter 7: “Transnational crime, corruption and conflict in Russia and the former USSR”, by L. Holmes
Throughout the chapter, the author denotes corruption as the biggest menace in the country, citing different surveys conducted in the country. Even though the author acknowledges the menace that corruption is in Russia, she acknowledges that other problems still exist. One of these problems is organized crime.
Throughout the chapter, the author reviews evidence that is related to organized crime and corruption in Russia and the former USSR. According to the author, the regrettable thing is that since most of the activities of corruption and organized crime remain under wraps. As such, most of the evidence adduced regarding corruption and organized crime is mostly circumstantial.
Mesbahi, “Tajikistan, Iran, and the international politics of the ‘Islamic factor’
Since the end of the Soviet Union, Islam has been debated around scholarly and policy circles as a cultural and sociopolitical force on the domestic and international influence and the impact it has had on Central Asia and Caucasus. The study of the Islamic factor is seen with a new sense of urgency compared to the Soviet era when few scholars examined the issue. The author of the book reckons that even though it appears that the renewed interest in the Islamic factor is caused by scholarly interest in examining the dynamics development in Central Asia, it is apparent that the renewed focus on the Central Asian region is also the function of other factors.
Throughout the book, the author argues that the independence of the region coinciding with the globalization of Islam in global politics and the re-emergence of historical rivalries of the regional powers regarding the geopolitical dispensation of the region and the resources in the region have contributed to the renewed interest in the region. The author posits that the globalization of the Islamic factor preceded the demise of the Soviet Union. However, he feels that the increased momentum and intensity of the globalization is as a result of the geographical and geocultural implications of the Soviet collapse.
The study focuses on the relations between Tajikistan and Iran because of the religio-cultural importance that is attached to the role that Iran plays in shaping the complexities surrounding the politics regarding the Islamic factor, whether by default or design. His study is also fueled by the place that Tajikistan occupies among the recently independent states in Central Asia, and especially for Iran. Although it does not have the economic significance enjoyed by Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, its relations with Iran cannot be ignored.
References
Mesbahi, M. (1997). Tajikistan, Iran and the International Politics of the ‘Islamic Factor’. Central Asian Survey. 16 (2), 141-158.
Sussex, Matthew. Conflict in the Former USSR. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2012. Print.
