"In a time of increasing geopolitical uncertainty and intensifying Sino-US interactions in so-called & third areas, this timely collection of high quality essays breaks from outmoded ways of academic and policy thinking to identify a host of emerging governance, security and economic challenges that Central Asia poses for both Washington and Beijing. This volume offers valuable lessons about each of these external power's & tools of influence, their co-existence in practice, and the extent to which they can actually shape regional developments according to their respective strategic priorities." - Alexander Cooley,author of Great Games, Local Rules: The New Great Power Contest in Central Asia "Until the collapse of the USSR, China's western border was seen as the Beijing's & back door. This collection documents its emergence as a new front door, and analyzes its implications for US-China relations. Readers of this well-crafted volume will inadvertently be led to ask whether, and how, Central Asian countries can take charge of their own security, or at least shape it." - S. Frederick Starr,author of Lost Enlightenment: Central Asia's Golden Age from the Arab Conquest to Tamerlane