India in a Reconnecting Eurasia examines the full scope of Indian national interests in the South Caucasus and Central Asia and analyzes the broad outlines of Indian engagement over the coming years. It is part of a six-part CSIS series, “Eurasia from the Outside In,” which includes studies focusing on Turkey, the European Union, Iran, India, Russia, and China.

Contributed articles presented at 3rd India-Central Asia Regional Conference held on Nov. 6-8, 2003 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on understanding of security environment in Central Asia and India's perceptions on better cooperation in politico-economic-security issues faced in the region.

Central Asia has been considered as part of India’s strategic neighbourhood; however India’s engagement with Central Asia has been weak due to many contextual reasons. Earlier when the nascent Central Asian nations acquired their independent status after the demise of the Soviet Union India was preoccupied with its own economic problems. Discovery of hydrocarbons and minerals enhanced the strategic importance of Central Asian Republics. The secular polity of these nations also holds tremendous importance for India as the forces of radicalism and extremism especially those emanating from the Af-Pak belt would have adverse impact on the regional security. Major powers are also involved in Central Asia for securing their own interests. This volume looks at the strategic environment in Central Asia, the evolving security situation in Afghanistan that is of concern to Central Asian states as well as India, the non-traditional threats which are becoming more important than the conventional threats, the economic aspects of engagement with Central Asia, prospects of defence and security cooperation and the way forward. The contributors to the volume are well known experts, diplomats and strategic professionals who have looked at every aspect of India-central Asia engagement and have suggested a way forward.

India and Central Asia: Geopolitics, Economy and Culture is a collection of essays on India's relations with the Central Asian states--Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan--from various perspectives. Trade and cultural relations have flourished between the people of India and Central Asia, particularly along the Silk Route, since ancient times. Under colonial rule, many passages from India to Central Asia came into use. However, with the partition of the Indian subcontinent and the consequent hostility between India and Pakistan, and the emergence of Communist China, India's direct link to the Central Asian region was cut off. The present volume makes out a case for the revival of the connectivity between India and the Central Asian states as there is a great potential in this linkage. This collection of essays explores the shared values of Central Asia and India and the common approach of a non-conflict model of international relations. The Central Asian countries and India could collaborate in sharing natural resources like minerals and the transmission of oil and gas, in which Central Asia abounds, leading to a shared security and prosperity, and cultural exchanges.

With renewed American involvement in Afghanistan, Pakistan's growing fragility, and China's rise in power in the post-Soviet space, Central Asia-South Asia relations have become central to understanding the future of the Eurasian continent. Mapping Centra

A Regular Flow Of Men And Merchandise Has Been Characteristic Of The Millennia Old Relations Between India And Central Asia. Their Inclusion In A Common Cultural Complex Evolved Through Their Age Old Interaction Has Imparted Strength To Them For Overcomi