Conditions for Securitization of International Terrorism in Central Asia

Abstract

One trend that has gained particular prominence in current discourse on international relations is the increasingly active role of non-state actors. It has been asserted that these actors’ spheres of operation are gradually shifting from the domestic and regional to the global level. Their actions are becoming sufficiently large in scope to transform the dynamics within a region and to change relations among regions and great powers, as well as relations among the great powers themselves. Thus, much current debate is directed at the role of non-state actors in international relations. After the events of September 11, 2001, special attention has been given in this discourse to one type of non-state actor in particular: international terrorism. A crucial step in the study of international terrorism is clarifying the terms in which it is formulated and defined in current debate within the field of international relations. From our vantage point, any analysis of these conditions must focus primarily on the regional level, which avoids making the problem overly universal and allows us to distinguish between the specific features of various regional contexts. In this article, we will analyze the conditions that have shaped a specific regional discourse, giving particular attention to international terrorism and using Central Asia as an example. We have chosen this region for two reasons. First, having been essentially on the periphery of much of present-day international relations, Central Asia has been drawn directly into the fight against international terrorism because of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. A second reason is that the actions of Central Asian countries are a demonstration of securitization in formulating approaches to international counterterrorism.