rely on pragmatic experimentation and adaptation), one must also
understand both the positive and negative sides of that experience.
On the whole, however, it is clear that the East Asian model is
helpful in mapping out a more efficient, less onerous transition to
a market economy.

This volume seeks to address these complex, intertwined
problems of geopolitics and economic transition. Chapter 1
provides an introduction to the Central Asian problem, focusing on
its geopolitical significance, dynamics of pro- and anti-imperialist
forces in Russia itself, and key aspects of the economic
transformation. Chapter 2 analyzes the activity of transnational
corporations in seeking to master natural resources of Central
Asia, the prospects of cooperation with Russian companies,
questions of oil reserves in the Caspian Sea, the delicate question
of pipeline construction, and the problem of preserving political
stability (as the most important precondition for attracting foreign
investment). Chapter 3 analyzes the economy of Central Asia as a
whole, with particular attention to its comparative dimension, in
the post-Soviet period. Chapters 4, 5, and 6--prepared by leading
experts from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan--examine
the economic situation from within, drawing primarily on
unpublished materials and data. Chapter 7, an interview with a
high-ranking official in Kazakhstan, not only presents an informed
official view but also shows how opinion within these states can be
deeply divided. The same applies to the international community.
Chapter 8 critically analyzes the different approaches to economic
reform of the "administrative-command system" and, in
particular, the applicability of the Western "shock-therapy" model.
It also examines two case studies of transition economies ( China
and Vietnam) and their implications for Central Asia.

It should be added that this book seeks to illuminate problems
and suggest prospects, not to offer a definitive or even unanimous
statement on "what is to be done." For example, not all the
contributors to this volume share identical, or even similar, views
on the proper relations between Russia and Central Asia. There are
also differences about the best strategy for economic reform. Thus
the essays on Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan (Chapters 4 and 6)
present quite different views about the cardinal question of price

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