Great Games, Local Rules: The New Great Power Contest in Central Asia Illustrated Edition

This is a very well written book yet on a complex topic and in words that are very scholarly. Can you summarize each chapter in a side publication and "dummy" it down to make it easier to understand the interactions between Central Asia and the "Great Powers"?

Cooley delves into the interplay between authoritarian Central Asian regimes and external great power interests in the region. Instead of the assumption that Russia, China and the USA having a free hand in the region, he convincingly shows that local governments have entrepreneurially-exploited the agendas of outside powers to bolster their own regimes, and often, rent-seeking elites have lined their pockets at the same time. He also demonstrates that there is a surprising degree of cooperation and accommodation amongst outside powers in the region and that their objectives are not always in conflict as assumed by the weary `Great Game' paradigm often invoked for explaining the politics of post-Soviet Central Asia. The work also serves as a very useful and insightful update generally on the unfolding politics of the region. Strongly recommended for politics and IR courses dealing with the area, as well as for any IR courses looking at great power interaction with and management of client states.

Great insight on South Central Asian countries and the role the US, Russia and China play there. Interesting for the causal reader who is interested in International relations and the Historian looking for facts on Central Asia.

This is an excellent book on the modern history of the former Soviet, Central Asian region. I especially enjoyed the well organized structure that gives each country its own chapter, and the overall analysis of Russian, Turkish and Iranian influences in the region. The writing is also superb, in a way that really engages the reader in the narrative.

I like that Mr. Cooley doesn't settle for the facile, surface explanations for what is going on in Central Asia. He gets done in the weeds and it is interesting there. However, it is dense, heavy going work down in the weeds.

Great analysis of the strategies and events surrounding Central Asian politics over the past 15 years. This was a helpful book as I'm currently working in Uzbekistan.

I wanted to know something about the actual situation of central asia and this book revealed perfectly! But only politic, forget a travel guide

Great book about an under appreciated region. It really is the way it is because of Great powers and Ideological struggles that tear nation-states to pieces. Perfect condition as well.

Very good and easy read but it needs an update, it stops to 2011

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