For Russia, Central Asia (CA) is a strategic region. And not only because it affects the stability and security of its southern borders. The economic potential of Central Asia, its rich mineral resources and labor resources are also of great importance for the Russian Federation. Finally, we should not ignore the fact that for many decades we have lived in the same state. First in Russia, then in the Soviet Union. The monograph by G. I. Chufrin, Doctor of Economics, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Almaty, 2010) is devoted to the most important problems of the development of relations between Russia and the Central Asian countries in the period after the collapse of the USSR. The author identifies three major blocks of questions. The section dealing with regional security issues examines modern non-traditional security threats such as religious extremism, terrorism, drug trafficking, and illegal migration. There is no doubt that the main reason for the emergence of these threats is the socio-economic instability in the countries of the region, the high poverty threshold and the critical level of social stratification of the population. The author also highlights another very important problem that threatens the stability of Central Asia - permanent disagreements between the states of the region. Speaking about the fight against these threats, G. A. Chufrin pays special attention to the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking. It is in these two areas that very serious work is being done not only by the Central Asian countries themselves, but also in the framework of their bilateral and multilateral cooperation with regional and global centers of influence - Russia, the United States, China, and NATO member countries. Pointing out that this cooperation is closely intertwined with the rivalry and confrontation of interests of the largest actors in the region, G. I. Chufrin examines in detail the American and Russian military-political and ... Read more