An ancient land, Central Asia occupies a geostrategically critical place at the heart of Eurasia, bridging the vast continental space that is Europe and Asia. Central Asia today faces great opportunities as well as daunting challenges. The principal message of this book is that the region has significant potential and a unique opportunity to accelerate its economic and social development. A major lesson for the future from Central Asians' past is that they thrived most when they were open to the world and to each other in terms of trade, investment, and bold thought, with a commitment to intel.