Reply #4: My favorirte explanation..

[stillcool]

http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/SRR/Volume11/centralasia.html
Central Asia Snapshots

Laxman Bahroo and J. L. Khayyam Coelho

Central Asia, the perennial penumbra of empires, has once again gained importance and captured world headlines. The land of war-like Turcomans, ancient cultural centers, the lucrative Silk Road, and the Great Game briefly fell into obscurity as world wars and ideological struggle preoccupied global consciousness. In the post Cold War era, and especially the post 9-11 era, Central Asia has reacquired its lost pre-eminence. Strategically bordering the major regions of Asia, the Russian Federation, China, Indian Subcontinent and the Middle East, it has become the destination of choice for regional and global powers seeking to expand their influence.


The pendulum of strategic thought has oscillated between the contrasting theories of Sir Halford Mackinder and Nicholas Spykman. Mackinder believed that the area constituting Central Asia formed the pivotal "heartland" and its importance summarized in the famous aphorism: He who controls the Heartland controls the World Island; He who controls the World Island, controls the world. Spykman disagreed because Mackinder's formulation discounted the influence of sea power. Instead, Spykman proposed the "Rimland" concept, regions that have access to the sea as well as the interior land mass. It comprised of Western Europe, the Middle East, Indian Subcontinent, and Southeast Asia. This concept too has a matching aphorism he who controls the Rimland rules Eurasia; who rules Eurasia controls the destinies of the world.


After nearly a century, the heartland has regained its prominence, as the newly independent republics find their footing on the way to nationhood. Countries from the surrounding regions have established military, diplomatic and an economic presence in the region motivated in part by exploration, academic study, competition, religion, and greed. Dubbed the New Great Game, the world has become interested in the region’s natural resources, its people and its conflicts. Energy conduits crisscrossing the region are the new and more enduring Silk Road, the great ancient commercial artery binding the Ganges and the Yellow River to the Near East and the Mediterranean. Central Asia has the potential to become the most significant trade artery of tomorrow, linking together China, India, Middle East, Russia and the fringe of Europe. Therefore the New Great Game is merely a reshuffling of priorities, protagonists, and level of intensity cloaked in a new garb; the underlying motivations have been the same since time immemorial.