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Western military presence wanes in Afghanistan and a transformed security environment challenges borders and stability in Central Asia. This book examines how the tensions relating to the reorganization of external military presence interact with regional states´ ambitions and challenge the borders already contested by numerous dividing lines. It studies a complex political landscape across which radical Islam connected with international terrorism is feared to spread as the international mission initiated in the wake of the 9/11 attacks winds down.

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Dr. Helena Rytövuori-Apunen, Doctor of Social Sciences, University Research Fellow, Adjunct Professor, Tampere Peace Research Institute TAPRI, University of Tampere, Finland

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