During the last two decades, Central Asian states have witnessed an intense revival of Islamic faith. Along with its moderate and traditional forms, radical and militant Islam has infiltrated communities of Muslims in Central Asia. Alarmed by the border incursions, sporadic terrorist violence and religious anti-governmental campaigns, the leadership of all Central Asian states adopted extensive measures against radical Islam and intensified counterterrorism policies.
This book examines the dangerous tendency of counterterrorism policies of the Central Asian states to grow more alike amid propensities for divergence and attributes this trend to the impact of the social context in which these states operate. It underscores the importance of international setting that shapes governments’ perceptions of terrorism and their counterterrorism policies. Applying a comprehensive theoretical framework, which integrates different mechanisms of international influences on state behaviour, the author explains the Central Asian states’ perceptions of terrorist threat and their counterterrorism responses. The book analyses the counterterrorism policies of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, the two Central Asian states that have been least affected by terrorist violence and Islamism but chose to combat those threats vigorously. Using materials derived from a wide range of sources, including legal documents, officials’ memoirs and fieldwork, this research will contribute to studies in Asian politics and national security, and international relations.
Introduction 1. A Reference Group Perspective on State Behaviour 2. Kyrgyzstan's Counterterrorism Policy 3. Kazakhstan's Counterterrorism Policy 4. Conclusion
Biography
Mariya Y. Omelicheva is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Kansas, USA, where she teaches and conducts research on Eurasian security, counterterrorism and human rights, and Russian foreign policy. She has published in leading journals and contributed her research to edited volumes.
"Counterterrorism Policies in Central Asia is an exceptional book. Omelicheva's knowledge of the Islamic radical groups in Central Asia establishes her as one of the foremost academic experts in her field. However, the strength of this book is her ability to question the policies of Central Asian states in reaction to Islamic radical groups... Overall, Omelicheva should be proud of the tremendous amount of research that shines through in this book. The average as well as the advanced reader will walk away with a better understanding of counterterrorism, but perhaps more importantly, with a larger understanding of the influence of outside actors in the creation of common counterterrorism policies." - R. L. Bowman, Luther College
