Source: Pro et Contra
This article orginally appeared in Russian in "The Power of Oil and Gas" edition of the Pro et Contra journal (Volume 10, Nos. 2-3, 2006), published by the Carnegie Moscow Center.
The most likely scenario is that Russia's increasing presence on Central Asia's energy scene will not be able to serve as a decisive factor in the evolving economic and political fates of these nations, but will be diminished through the growing role of any number of other international actors – including China, India, the U.S. and Europe – who will offer new alternatives to Central Asia's leaders. And as Central Asia 's leaders and their advisors begin to be replaced by a younger and more highly skilled generation, such alternatives may seem increasingly attractive.
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