Military Deployment in Central Asia: The Case of the Manas Base

Abstract

This paper attempts to present a wider and at the same time detailed picture of the issue of military deployment in Central Asia. It shows that today it is impossible to discuss Central Asian regional security without Afghanistan. Afghanistan has become part of Central Asia and all the major developments in one affect the other. It also touches upon the issue of the strategic interests of the major powers in the region: the U.S., Russia and China. One of the conclusions of the text is that military deployment in Central Asia is a part of a bigger game over the influence in the region. Military establishments of particular countries become just objects of geopolitical games. The paper also argues that the Manas base in Kyrgyzstan enjoyed a status of monopoly, in terms of U.S. military presence in Central Asia, especially after the Khanabad base was closed in 2005.