One of the most interesting regions of the world is Central Asia. And it is interesting because Americans don't know a whole lot about this area, even though so much early history had been written there. Consider the old silk roads, Genghis Khan, and the rise of the USSR. Remember the Domino effect? So, what are the Central Asian republics? Do you even know, and I bet you can't spell them, but maybe you should learn?
Yes, I'm referring to you Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan. You may not realize this, but recently a pipeline has been put through many of these countries and now has been completed and goes through the back door to China. And there has been civil unrest, and the overthrow of the government of one of these countries recently. And a couple of them border Afghanistan, which I think we all know little bit more about that we did 10 years ago.
Still, if you'd like to learn more, and I believe you should, then there's a very good book that you should read, it is a book that I own, and I recommend to you. The name of the book is;
"Central Asian Republics" (Nations in Transition Series) by Michael Kort, Facts on File Publishers, New York, NY, (2004), 200 pages, ISBN: 0-8160-5074-0.
Interestingly enough, this book written by Michael Kort and is extremely well written, and it makes sense because the author holds a PhD from Boston University, and he is a historian, and also an author of "The Soviet Colossus: A History of the USSR , "and, he is the co-author of" Modernization and Revolution in China, "which is also sitting next to my desk to read in the future. If it's anywhere close to as good as this book, I would consider it a must read.
Now then, in this book you will find out what scintillation is, and how it came into existence from ancient times to the 19th century. You will also learn how the Soviets came into control this region, and how they were kicked out reclaims their independence, and now we've become trading partners with their neighbors. Part two of this book is very excellent because it has specific chapters on each individual country, and there is a great chronological table of events.
If you're going to talk about the future of that region, and how things are shaping up with China, Afghanistan, Turkey, and the Soviet Union, and what the United States role is in keeping the peace, then you need to make sure you have your facts straight, and therefore I highly recommend this book. Please consider all this.
