Central Asia

As the rise of multipolarity is testing the resilience of the liberal international order, states are rushing to decouple economically from their political competitors. This makes Central Asia a focal...

Since gaining independence in 1991, the Central Asian states have again forged steadily growing ties with China. These ties advanced significantly in 2013 when Xi Jinping formally announced the Silk...

Since August 2021, all Central Asian republics have been, in one way or another, contending with Taliban rule in Afghanistan. While treading cautiously, each Central Asian government faces a host...

While Washington is hosting a NATO Summit to demonstrate Western resolve, Russia and China convened a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Kazakhstan. In an increasingly polarized world,...

 On May 30, the Center for the National Interest hosted the fourth in a monthly series of expert discussions organized by the Center’s Central Asia Connectivity Project. —Tatiana Mitrova is...

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Western sanctions have reinforced economic relations between an increasingly isolated Russia and an opportunistic Turkey. Russia has become Turkey’s leading import partner, while Turkish...

In the nineteenth and early twentieth century, during the “Great Game” between the Russian Empire and British Empires, Central Asia was divided into spheres of influence. Five of the modern...

Central Asia, a vast land-locked area between Russia and China, deserves far more U.S. attention than it currently gets. Greater U.S. engagement with the region can help counter Russia’s aggression...

The growing ties come due to shared religion and culture, alongside burgeoning trade, investment, and development initiatives from the Gulf region. This turn of events comes as a very welcome...

February 2024 marked the tenth anniversary of the Maidan Revolution, in which Ukraine moved decisively away from pursuing membership in Russia’s then-nascent Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), choosing rapprochement with the...

The gruesome attack at Moscow’s Crocus City Hall last Friday—which left more than 130 dead—serves as a tragic reminder of the global risks presented by terrorist groups emerging in Afghanistan...

Central Asia has long been considered a geopolitical backwater in the minds of many Western geopolitical thinkers and foreign policy strategists, earning it the name “Russia’s backyard.” Most Americans know...