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Friday, October 3, 2014
Unit 3 - Investigation D: Water & Security in Central Asia
What socio-cultural, geopolitical, and historical factors will influence the proposed creation of a Palestinian state?
HINT: Check the study guide for the unit 3 test to help identify appropriate details to support your argument.
Central Asia includes the four former Soviet states of Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. Its history is overridden by the trend of countries trying to get influence there. In the 1800s there was the Great Game between Britain and Russia. After that, the Soviet Union ruled, focusing on exploiting the countries' rich oil and natural gas resources while ignoring many negative environmental effects. In 1991 the countries became independent but were still dependent on foreign countries. Countries like Iran, Turkey, Russia, and China fight for influence, especially in the energy market. A concern in the region is drug smuggling.
Another key problem in the region is environmental problems. During Soviet Rule, the two rivers leading into the Aral Sea were diverted to be used for water in agriculture (growing cotton, a cash crop). This has made there be much less fresh water flowing into the Aral Sea, and therefore the size has decreased rapidly while salinity goes up. The portion of the sea that has receded has turned into desert with very salty soil and many harmful pesticides, hurting the local wildlife, the fishing industry, and the economy of port towns that were once trade centers. Other water problems besides the Aral Sea include: lack of clean water in Tajikistan because the piping infrastructure from Soviet times has been ignored and unmaintained since independence; a disagreement between countries on the division of whose borders give them access to which water sources, for instance in the Ferghana Valley; the construction of costly dams; and finally the rapidly growing populations putting pressure on the water supply.
The British and Russians had a rivalry. Britain owned India, so Russia wanted to expand their territory into central Asia. In the 1920s, five soviet regions of the Soviet Union were formed. They were Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan. These regions contributed to the states we have today of the same name. Russia mainly used central Asia for extraction of raw materials. When the Soviets divided the land they left large minorities in fear of a unified movement.Central Asia produces a lot of raw materials, specifically natural gas. Multiple countries are taking advantages of the surplus of materials. There is violence across the region. This mainly relates to the proposed creation of a Palestinian state, because if violence has emerged in the past across this region, then it is likely that if Palestine was made independent, it would make the conflict between Israel and the Arabs greater.
The region of Central Asia is dominated by large steppes and its other environmental inhibitors. The area was conquered by Russia as part of their "Great Game" with Great Britan. The regions were not given the tools for independence, they were treated more as resource collection regions, sometimes nuclear weapons were even tested in the region. The area did eventual get broken up after the fall of the soviet empire. The region now includes five former soviet republics Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. The countries are heavily dependent on foreign economies. There is great fear by the governments of unified resistance movements from various factions, and the creation of an independent Palestine would likely inflame those minorities.
In the nineteenth century, there was a competition, known as the "Great Game," between Russia and Great Britain to gain an entrance into Central Asia. The reasons why these two nations wanted to move to this region is because of creating markets for goods and manifesting the area to take control of the Central Asian people. Central Asia has become a vast region producing raw materials, such as wheat, cotton, metals, oils, and gas. It is a huge target for big powers. These states in Central Asia are forced into greater reforms and democratization through pressure and polices pursued by multiple countries. Central Asia also has environmental problems. People have to rely on unsanitary water in rivers and open ditches. The center of this problem is the depreciation of the resource-sharing system that the Soviet Union exploited on the region until its collapse in 1991. Improved water infrastructure and management activities could be essential for regaining peace and political stability, while also increasing development and economic growth.
Central Asia includes the four former Soviet states of Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. Its history is overridden by the trend of countries trying to get influence there. In the 1800s there was the Great Game between Britain and Russia. After that, the Soviet Union ruled, focusing on exploiting the countries' rich oil and natural gas resources while ignoring many negative environmental effects. In 1991 the countries became independent but were still dependent on foreign countries. Countries like Iran, Turkey, Russia, and China fight for influence, especially in the energy market. A concern in the region is drug smuggling.
ReplyDeleteAnother key problem in the region is environmental problems. During Soviet Rule, the two rivers leading into the Aral Sea were diverted to be used for water in agriculture (growing cotton, a cash crop). This has made there be much less fresh water flowing into the Aral Sea, and therefore the size has decreased rapidly while salinity goes up. The portion of the sea that has receded has turned into desert with very salty soil and many harmful pesticides, hurting the local wildlife, the fishing industry, and the economy of port towns that were once trade centers. Other water problems besides the Aral Sea include: lack of clean water in Tajikistan because the piping infrastructure from Soviet times has been ignored and unmaintained since independence; a disagreement between countries on the division of whose borders give them access to which water sources, for instance in the Ferghana Valley; the construction of costly dams; and finally the rapidly growing populations putting pressure on the water supply.
The British and Russians had a rivalry. Britain owned India, so Russia wanted to expand their territory into central Asia. In the 1920s, five soviet regions of the Soviet Union were formed. They were Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan. These regions contributed to the states we have today of the same name. Russia mainly used central Asia for extraction of raw materials. When the Soviets divided the land they left large minorities in fear of a unified movement.Central Asia produces a lot of raw materials, specifically natural gas. Multiple countries are taking advantages of the surplus of materials. There is violence across the region. This mainly relates to the proposed creation of a Palestinian state, because if violence has emerged in the past across this region, then it is likely that if Palestine was made independent, it would make the conflict between Israel and the Arabs greater.
ReplyDeleteThe region of Central Asia is dominated by large steppes and its other environmental inhibitors. The area was conquered by Russia as part of their "Great Game" with Great Britan. The regions were not given the tools for independence, they were treated more as resource collection regions, sometimes nuclear weapons were even tested in the region. The area did eventual get broken up after the fall of the soviet empire. The region now includes five former soviet republics Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. The countries are heavily dependent on foreign economies. There is great fear by the governments of unified resistance movements from various factions, and the creation of an independent Palestine would likely inflame those minorities.
ReplyDeleteIn the nineteenth century, there was a competition, known as the "Great Game," between Russia and Great Britain to gain an entrance into Central Asia. The reasons why these two nations wanted to move to this region is because of creating markets for goods and manifesting the area to take control of the Central Asian people. Central Asia has become a vast region producing raw materials, such as wheat, cotton, metals, oils, and gas. It is a huge target for big powers. These states in Central Asia are forced into greater reforms and democratization through pressure and polices pursued by multiple countries. Central Asia also has environmental problems. People have to rely on unsanitary water in rivers and open ditches. The center of this problem is the depreciation of the resource-sharing system that the Soviet Union exploited on the region until its collapse in 1991. Improved water infrastructure and management activities could be essential for regaining peace and political stability, while also increasing development and economic growth.
ReplyDelete