US Military Political Strategy in Central Asia after September 11th; Goals and Challenges

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Tehran

2 PhD Student of International Relations, University of Isfahan

Abstract

The following article seeks to answer the question of the policy and strategy and the goals of the United States in its military presence in the Central Asian region after September 11th and the obstacles and challenges that this strategy is faced with in the region. Briefly, it can be said that the Central Asian region has a high geopolitical significance for the United States. So that the deployment of the United States in Central Asia can, on the one hand, directly combat terrorism and the use of regional energy resources on the expansion of its influence and, on the other hand, to control and counteract the influence of its traditional rivals, such as Russia and China. Of course, the success rate of the strategy and its objectives depends on how the United States faces challenges such as the geographic situation of the region, Islamic extremism and terrorism and rivals in the region, namely, Russia and China. America’s main and permanent strategy is presence in the strategic areas of the world and preventing the domination of rival powers such as Russia and China. In the context of the Central Asian region, the presence of the United States in the Bush and Obama periods have been examined. The grand strategy of both presidents was important for the same enduring goal of the United States, namely, presence in the regions, but tactics differed according to the timescales. In the Bush period, and after September 11th, direct threats to the United States have been a formidable tactic and military tactic, but Obama has changed the tactics to soft tactics and intelligence.

Keywords


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