Figure 1.6: Hypothetical map of a possible Central Asian world region. A hypothetical region called Central Asia could consist of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, plus Turkey, Iraq, Iran, the Caucasus (Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan), and also Afghanistan and Pakistan. For cultural reasons, it might even include parts of western China, but we will not consider that here. The Caucasus countries have had a long association with Central Asia; economically, they might find this a better association than one with Europe, which is halfheartedly courting them for their oil. Just which region Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Yemen, and Israel, would fall into is debatable—perhaps a region called the Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa. The Emirates, despite their location on the Arabian Peninsula, appear to be angling for a leading economic role in such a new Central Asian region.