Today, there are many more players involved, and the stakes – energy security, above all – are far higher now. America, India, Europe, and Japan will face increasing tension between their short-term military needs in the region and their long-term goal of promoting political reform in order to create more stable and reliable partners.
19世纪，英俄帝国对中亚控制权的争夺战曾被称之为“大博弈”。而今天，这场博弈参与的国家更多，而且赌注¾首先是能源安全¾也远比过去更大。美国、印度、欧洲和日本将不得不在满足本国短期军事需求和促进中亚地区政治改革、以建立更加稳定可靠的伙伴关系的长期目标之间面对越来越多的激烈冲突。