National Security and Military Issues in Central Asia

When the Central Asian republics of the USSR (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) declared their independence in the last months of 1991, national security—the necessity for a sovereign nation-state to provide for the defense of its territorial and political integrity against external threats—was not at first perceived to be a pressing need by the new countries. Deciding for or against rapid introduction of a market economy, seeking to prevent or minimize the political effects of a decline in living standards resulting from the loss of financial subsidies that had been provided by the Soviet state, and gaining international recognition and support were all issues that had greater priority than creation of a national military structure in each of the Central Asian states.