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This paper aims to study American sources of information on the Muslim republics of central Asia and the Caucasus. These republics have long been neglected by Arab scholars, especially during the period of Soviet rule. The paper reviews the development of the study of central Asia and the Caucasus in the United States before and after the end of the Soviet rule. At first, American scholars made use of European studies. American academic interest in the Muslim republics has risen after the collapse of the Soviet Union. This can be seen in the increasing number of books and studies, conferences and seminars, establishing post-graduate programs in many American universities focusing on the study of central Asia and the Caucasus, and establishing research centers and creating web sites devoted to these regions. The paper surveys these efforts and considers many examples to show the increasing interests in the US in studying the newly-independent Muslim states of central Asia and the Caucasus. The paper assumes that American policy towards these states benefits from academic research, which is mainly funded by the US government and corporations investing in the Caspian region.

Keywords: Central Asia, Caucasus, Russia, US and Islamic Republics,

Research Centeres, Soviet Union, Sovietology.