One of the world’s most important under-reported stories is the ongoing struggle for political influence and commercial advantage in Central Asia – mainly Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyryzstan and Tajikistan – between Russia, China and the United States. Security Watchtower has an important post, The Battle for Central Asia, which is worth reading and which links to a series from Radio Liberty on the subject.

Although the security of petroleum supply and counter-terrorism are important themes in the struggle, there is also an ideological struggle based around democratization. A couple of points to highlight:

“China will feel that if Central Asia is governed by the pro-U.S. regime or government, it will destabilize China’s Xinjiang region and will give Beijing a lot of trouble.”

…

“After the events of the ‘colored’ revolutions in Georgia and in Ukraine, above all after the Orange Revolution in Ukraine, there are Äno longerÅ any doubts in the political class as a whole concerning ÄtheÅ contradiction — basic contradiction — of interests between the United States and Russia.”

I highlight these issues to illustrate an otherwise inexplicable source of tension in the region. Specifically, the Turkic peoples of northern Afghanistan are ethnically and religiously related to the Muslim peoples of western China. If Afghanistan succeeds in creating a democratic culture, this might be exported to the non-Han (i.e. non-Chinese) populations of China, thus challenging Beijing’s control.

Kirk H. Sowell, Window on the Arab World