The Foreign Service Journal, April 2003

18 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / A P R I L 2 0 0 3 F O C U S O N C E N T R A L A S I A n October 2002, the Bush administration took a decision that will likely be recalled as a land- mark in Central Asian history. By deciding to set up military bases in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, the U.S. redrew the geopolitical map of the region. The ever-evolving and shifting distribution of power and influ- ence among the states surrounding Central Asia — and the regional states themselves — was fundamentally altered by the serious commitment of the United States to a military and security engagement in the region, even though the length of this commitment was not announced. America’s advent on the scene restored a cer- I Josh Dorman T HE U.S. R EDRAWS THE M AP I N SETTING UP MILITARY BASES IN C ENTRAL A SIA , THE U.S. REDREW THE GEOPOLITICAL MAP OF THE REGION . H ERE ARE THE MAJOR CHALLENGES THE U.S. NOW FACES . B Y D R . S VANTE E. C ORNELL