South and Central Asia are creators of Major Civilizations

During 5 Millena with Shared History and Culture: If the Buddhist-Confucious Mongoloid and Malay races would have their block, since the Christian Anglo-Saxons and Latinos have theirs, then why not people Speaking Aryan, Turkic and allied languages with long common history and shared culture, create their own economic and cultural community.

Culturally, linguistically, ethnically and spiritually no other regions and people have so much in common. It is an area with continuous history and cradle of most civilizations and majority of world’s religions, where Indo-Iranian and Ural- Altaic languages mingled with each other and local languages producing such a mosaic of tongues. For example Turkic and Hindustani languages share nearly four thousand common words and have influenced each other’s grammar. Many Turks and Mongols were Buddhists before Islam was brought to Central Asia which strengthened the Sufi strands in Islam. Turkish languages have borrowed many Buddhist words, terms and conceptions from Prakit and Sanskrit. Bazaar for market is used from Turkey to Bangladesh and from Astana in Kazakhstan to Bhendi Bazaar in Mumbai.

Since 5 millennia civilisations evolved and flourished in desert oasis and river valleys south of the Eurasian steppes, which were dominated first by charioteers and then horse riders from the steppes who shaped the history of Asia, Middle East and Europe.

Common Markets in the Past:

The region had many incipient though smaller economic communities in the past. The Persian Empire under the Achameneans ruled from Persepolis, stretched from Turkey (Asia Minor) in the West to Uzbekistan and North India. In 517 BC Emperor Darius ordered Scylax, his Greek subject from Caria (Western Turkey) to survey river Indus from Peshawar to its exit into the sea. And for the first time West became acquainted with India. Herodotus’s chapters on Indian history were based on records of that exploration and other writings. Under Devputra Kanishka’s rule from Peshawar, traders and preachers moved freely and flourished in his empire which covered most of Central Asia, Xinjiang and down to central and east India. During 16th century AD, traders moved freely in the empires of the Moghuls of Hindustan, Uzbek Shaybani Khans of Khawarizm on Aral Sea, Shia Safavids of Iran and Ottomans of Turkey right into central Europe. A hundi (based on hawala system still in use) issued in Delhi bazaar was valid in Istanbul or Bukhara. Apples, pomegranates, melons and other fruits from Bukhara could be bought in Delhi’s bazaars during the Moghul days.

Although the British had quit Hindustan half a century ago, it was the collapse of the Soviet Union and emergence of independent Turkic speaking Central Asia Republics (CARs) like Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Tajik speaking Tajikistan, which dramatically changed the political, economic and strategic situation in the region.

Tashkent, Dushanbe and Bishkek, capitals of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan are as close to Delhi by air as Chennai. Now independent and sovereign they look east, west but southwards as in the past, in spite of almost umbilical connections with Russia. The population of CARs may be around 65 million but the republic of Kazakhstan is as large as India.

CARs are extremely rich in energy resources and other raw materials like gold, uranium, iron and non ferrous metals. They are short in experts on management, banking, Info-Tech and such disciplines.

Apart from restricted contacts since 1947 between India and CARs, then part of USSR, except for a century and a half, when the Indian sub-continent was ruled by the British and Central Asia by the Russians, there was always natural interaction through travel, trade, migration and conquest between the sub-continent and Central Asia, Iran and Turkey for over five millennium. Aryan tribes of India had migrated from north of Black Sea and the Caspian and Khazak steppes during 2nd and 1st millennium BC. Later the Turkish tribes marched from eastern Asian steppes to the Indian sub-continent, Iran and Turkey, where had evolved and flowered earlier Greek, Roman and Hellenic thought, culture and polity, which forms the basis of Western civilization. This was a result of interaction of incoming Greeks with existing higher Asian civilisations of Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, Persia, Egypt and India, home to over 40 civilisations. Turkey has more Greek sites than Greece and more Roman monuments than Italy.

The idea of an economic community will take time to be accepted, but it must be studied and promoted for the well being of nearly two billion
Inhabitants of the regions. With many members, there will be less fear of Indian domination, a Pakistani obsession. In the proposed new free trade zone in East Asia, China’s population is 1.3 billion, while that of ASEAN is around 350 million. The countries of Central Asia afraid of terrorism coming from Afghanistan and Pakistan and dormant problems over shared Ferghana valley between Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, would put pressure on Pakistan to eliminate nurseries of terrorism. At the hub of exchanges, Pakistan and Afghanistan would gain the most, even more than from current heroin exports and smuggling. India can be a massive market for manufactures and raw materials from Kazakhstan to Maldives and from Iran, and even Turkey to Bangladesh.

The new community would be overtly and covertly opposed by many. How would China, USA and Russia react? China would certainly oppose it covertly and could use Pakistan as a Trojan horse. After the unraveling of USSR, US foreign policy was erratic in Central Asia. First it tried to use ethnically closer and secular Turkey against Islamic fundamentalism from Iran and Afghanistan. But it was Saudi Arabia which provided the bulk of funds for mosques and literature. Jihadis in CARs are known as Wahabis, the austere and no frills Islamic form enforced in and exported from Saudi Arabia. Later USA let Russia in for defence support along its former borders with Afghanistan after 9/11.

With out a clear cut US policy or support, except from the energy lobby, many leaders of CARs and Caucasus region were veering towards Russia.

Madame Albright during her farewell tour of Central Asia had lectured the leaders on lack of democracy in their countries. But after 11 September, the erstwhile pariahs have become partners against terrorism. They were invited to Washington and wined and dined. USA has now signed defense agreements with most countries in Central Asia and has established its military presence in them. Aid worth hundreds of millions of dollars has poured in, mostly in the defence sector. But US policy on Iran, which now forms the so called axis of evil remains counterproductive. India and Russia are working to wards a north south corridor through Iran for trade, which can also link India with Central Asia.

Many former top US officials now liaise with leaders of energy rich
Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and others and have made lucrative careers. During his Indian visit to India 3 years ago, president Bill Clinton, spent more time with India’s Ambani family, with growing interests in petroleum and energy sector with sights set on Central Asia, than with the Indian prime minister. US President George Bush, his deputy and most of his senior advisers are all connected with the energy industry. Energy short India with a billion strong population can absorb US finance and technology in which Indian Diaspora of nearly 2 million in USA could also play a critical role.

With USA and India moving towards a closer strategic relationship, US ought to welcome such a grouping. It could also act as a counter to the expanding EU and China led ASEAN block. It will make China to look West, away from the Pacific, a fond hope and strategic aim of USA and many others. By bringing CARs into the grouping Russian influence in central Asia can be also neutralized. Energy resources from CARs are competitors to Russia (also a counter to Arab and Iranian sources). CARs natural outlets are towards South (Asia) as geography and history tell us Apart from alleviating other problems plaguing the regions, the economic community would lend to the solution of Afghanistan problem which has little natural resources.

We have seen the so called donors conferences for the solution of the problems of Palestine, Yugoslavia and Afghanistan. Apart from providing some ready news to western networks, the propped up leaders pocket a few million dollars, but the countries are soon forgotten and problems remain unsolved and become even worse.

Most of the time in history Afghans were occupied with trade, located at the cross roads between Hindustan and Turkistan, China and Iran and Europe further west (The trade in contraband and narcotics is now back to older levels in Afghanistan). An economic community would change the agenda in Afghanistan from Kalashnikov culture, opium cultivation and heroin refining to its becoming a cross road for trade and oil and gas pipelines. No amount of donor conferences and aid would act such a stimulant to trade, industry and peace in Afghanistan. And also to the countries around it.

ECO, with its ancestry of Baghdad Pact, CENTO and RCD and a still born SAARC are moribund organisations with secretariats to keep unemployed and unemployable diplomats busy and not for any creative economic innovation, cooperation and integration. A fresh start is a must. If the proposed Indo Pakistan talks get bogged down, to begin with, an initiative could be taken by NGOs and other organizations. The leaders of India, Bangladesh, Iran, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan could take up the challenge through various channels including parliaments. Later other countries would join in.

At the Copenhagen EU summit last year, France’s former president Valery Giscard deEstaing had said that admitting Turkey ’’would be the end of the European Union’’ because Turkey has ’’a different culture, a different approach, a different way of life -- it is not a European country,?? In spite of the so called dates for Turkey’s member ship, with its 67 million Muslims, it is unlikely to be admitted into EU, which is basically a Christian Club. More so after 11 September events. Full membership for Turkey would remain only a chimera. For the first time in Turkey’s history, the Justice and Development party (AKP), a party with Islamic roots, won a massive 2/3 rd majority in last November elections. Its parliament voted against the government motion to allow US troops use of its land bases to open a second front against Iraq. Ninety percent of Turkey’s population opposes the War against Iraq. Turkey is likely to look east for stronger economic and political linkages and relations. A secular democracy ,with 99% Muslim population, Turkey could be a possible model for Muslim countries(Gen Musharraf has borrowed the concept of National Security Council from Turkey) and a dynamic member of the suggested economic grouping.

An enlarged Economic community for South and Central Asia in early 21st century need not remain a dream for the well being and prosperity of future generations of the regions. If only the leaders of the regions would wake up, look beyond their noses and take up the challenges awaiting them.