Out from the Shadows: Central Asia’s Emerging Role on the Global Stage
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62327/9djjwnuqktKeywords:
Trade, Russia, China, Silk Road, Soviet Union, Asia, Central AsiaAbstract
From a vital trade corridor for China on the Silk Road to farmland for the Soviet Union, Central Asia has traditionally been viewed as defined by the great powers that surround it. Even after gaining their independence following the fall of the Soviet Union, the Central Asian Republics (CARs) of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan remained largely under Russia’s sphere of influence: their economies, foreign policies, and, especially, security strategies remained closely integrated with Russia’s largely by default.
References
Abbasova, Vusala. “President Tokayev Says Kazakhstan Will Not Recognize Do- netsk, Lugansk as Independent States.” Caspian News, July 20, 2022. https://caspiannews.com/news-detail/president-tokayev-says-kazakh- stan-will-not-recognize-donetsk-lugansk-as-independent-states-2022-6- 20-0/.
Allayar, Sardor. “Shifting Dynamics in Central Asia: The Security Landscape amid the Ukraine Conflict.” Central Asian Bureau for Analytical Reporting, March 5, 2025. https://cabar.asia/en/shifting-dynamics-in-central-asia- the-security-landscape-amid-the-ukraine-conflict.
Aris, Stephen. “The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation: ‘Tackling the Three Evils.’ A Regional Response to Non-Traditional Security Challenges or an Anti- Western Bloc?” Europe-Asia Studies 61 (2009): 457–82. https://doi.org/10.1080/09668130902753309.
Atayev, Teymur. “New Railway Corridor to Link Central Asia with Arabian Sea Ports by 2027.” Caspian News, July 15, 2025. https://caspianpost.com/opin- ion/new-railway-corridor-to-link-central-asia-with-arabian-sea-ports-by- 2027.
Bartlett, Paul and Joanna Lillis. “Central Asia: Bringing Afghanistan in from the Cold.” Eurasianet, July 7, 2025. https://eurasianet.org/central-asia-bring- ing-afghanistan-in-from-the-cold.
Batsaikhan, Uuriintuya and Marek Dabrowski. “Central Asia — Twenty-five Years after the Breakup of the USSR.” Russian Journal of Economics 3, no. 3 (2017): 296–320. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ruje.2017.09.005.
Bernard-Pearl, Joshua. “New Security Trends in the Caucasus and Central Asia: Sales of Russian Arms Decline.” Caspian Policy Center, August 27, 2024. https://api.caspianpolicy.org/media/ckeditor_media/2024/08/27/secu- rity-trends-in-central-asia-and-south-caucasus_CxopCxu.pdf.
Bifolchi, Giuliano. “Central Asia Special Representatives on Afghanistan Meeting.” SpecialEurasia, August 28, 2025. https://www.specialeura- sia.com/2025/08/28/central-asian-afghanistan/.
Borangaziyev, Aidar. “Afghanistan and Central Asia: Pragmatism instead of Illu- sion.” The Times of Central Asia, April 16, 2025. https://timesca.com/af- ghanistan-and-central-asia-pragmatism-instead-of-illusions/.
“Central Asia’s ‘C5’ Security Bloc Can Become a Reality.” The Times of Central Asia, May 20, 2024. https://timesca.com/central-asias-c5-security-bloc-can-be- come-a-reality/.
China’s State Council Information Office. “A Quick Guide to SCO and Its Military Cooperation.” Last modified June 5 2018, http://english.scio.gov.cn/in- fographics/201806/05/content_51673238.htm.
Collective Security Treaty Organization. “History of the Collective Security Treaty Organization.” Accessed March 9, 2025. https://en.od- kbcsto.org/25years/#:~:text=History%20of%20creation%2C%20funda- mentals%20of,the%20possibility%20of%20further%20extension.
Dolgov, Anna. “Kazakhs Worried after Putin Questions History of Country’s Inde- pendence.” The Moscow Times, September 1, 2014. https://www.themo- scowtimes.com/2014/09/01/kazakhs-worried-after-putin-questions-his- tory-of-countrys-independence-a38907.
European Council. “Joint Declaration Following the First European Union-Central Asia Summit.” Press release, April 4, 2025, https://data.consilium.eu- ropa.eu/doc/document/ST-7745-2025-REV-1/en/pdf.
Fried, Trisporah. “A New Great Game Emerges as Central Asia Drifts Away from Moscow.” Hudson Institute, December 10, 2025. https://www.hud- son.org/foreign-policy/new-great-game-emerges-central-asia-drifts- away-moscow-tsiporah-fried.
Indeo, Fabio. “CASA-1000 Energy Project Revival: Involving Afghanistan in the Re- gional Cooperation.” NATO Defense College Foundation, August 27, 2025. https://www.natofoundation.org/central-asia/casa-1000-energy-project- revival-involving-afghanistan-in-the-regional-cooperation/.
Isachenko, Daria. “Turkey’s Turns to Central Asia.” German Institute for Interna- tional and Security Affairs, comment no. 49 (2025). https://doi.org/10.18449/2025c49.
Ivanović, Aleksandar. “The CIS Summit and Central Asia’s Afghan Challenge. ”American Foreign Policy Council, November 14, 2025. https://www.afpc.org/publications/articles/the-cis-summit-and-central- asias-afghan-challenge.
Jalolova, Sadokat. “Central Asian Countries Launch New Contact Group on Af- ghanistan.” The Times of Central Asia, August 29, 2025, https://timesca.com/central-asian-countries-launch-new-contact-group- on-afghanistan/.
Mallinson, Kate. “Afghanistan Creates Tricky New Reality for Central Asia.” Chat- ham House, August 27, 2021. https://www.chathamhouse.org/2021/08/af- ghanistan-creates-tricky-new-reality-central-asia.
Mamashuly, Asylkhan. “A Big Present.” Radio Azattyq, December 15, 2020. https://www.azattyqasia.org/a/kazakhstanis-reaction-to-the-statements- of-russian-deputies-about-the-kazakh-territory/31002411.html.
Mirziyoyev, Shavkat. “Address by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shav- kat Mirziyoyev at the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assem- bly.” Speech, New York, NY, September 23, 2025. President of the Republic of Uzbekistan. https://president.uz/en/lists/view/8525.
Mirziyoyev, Shavkat. “Address by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shav- kat Mirziyoyev at the Seventh Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia.” Speech, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, November 16, 2025. https://president.uz/en/lists/view/8674.
Najibullah, Farangis, and Khursand Khurramov. “Central Asia’s High-Stakes Gam- ble with the Taliban.” Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, September 22, 2024. https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-taliban-kazakhstan-kyrgyz-
stan-uzbekistan-tajikistan-turkmenistan/33126717.html.
Nyshanbayev, Nurbolat, Malik Augan, Moldir Almaz, and Zhaudir Baiymbetova. “Central Asia in a Changing World: Understanding the Impact of the Rus- sia-Ukraine Conflict.” Kasetsart Journal of Social Sciences 45, no. 4, 1373–
82. https://doi.org/10.34044/j.kjss.2024.45.4.30.
Popławski, Marcin. “Central Asia: A Region without Border Disputes?” Centre for
Eastern Studies, January 17, 2025. https://www.osw.waw.pl/en/pub- likacje/analyses/2025-01-17/central-asia-a-region-without-border-dis- putes.
Rahmati, Fidel. “10 Km of TAPI Gas Pipeline Completed in Afghanistan.” The Khaama Press, March 16, 2025. https://www.khaama.com/10-km-of-tapi- gas-pipeline-completed-in-afghanistan/.
“The Security Situation in Central Asia under the Context of Major Power Compe- tition: Current State and Prospects.” International Cooperation Center. July 10, 2025. https://en.icc.org.cn/thinktank_theories/intl_observa- tion/399.html.
Sharb, Clayton, and Danika Newlee. “Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K).” Center for Strategic and International Studies, November 9, 2018. https://www.csis.org/programs/former-programs/warfare-irregular- threats-and-terrorism-program-archives/terrorism-backgrounders/is- lamic.
Tanin, Ziaulhaq. “Why Central Asia Matters to the United States Again.” Global Se- curity Review, January 2025. https://globalsecurityreview.com/why-cen- tral-asia-matters-to-the-united-states-again/.
Tokayev, Kassym-Jomart. “Central Asia’s Renaissance: Towards Sustainable Devel- opment and Prosperity.” Kazakhstanskaya Pravda, August 8, 2024. https://kazpravda.kz/n/renessans-tsentralnoy-azii-na-puti-k- ustoychivomu-razvitiyu-i-protsvetaniyu/.
Safari, Sebghatullah. “Understanding the Afghan Taliban’s Deepening Links with Central Asia.” The Center for Security, Strategy and Policy Research, September 29,
2025. https://csspr.uol.edu.pk/atcars/.
Xianghong, Zheng. “Uzbekistan and the CSTO: A Tumultuous Ride.” Chinese Social
Sciences Net, January 27, 2013. http://euroa-
sia.cssn.cn/xsyj/xsyj_englt/201601/t20160127_2847363.shtml
Yu, Hong. “Is the Belt and Road Initiative 2.0 in the Making? The Case of Central Asia.”Journal of Contemporary Asia 53, no. 3 (2022): 1–13.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00472336.2022.2122858.
Zielińska, Daria. “Pragmatism beyond Divides: Central Asia’s Engagement with Af-
ghanistan.” Centre for Eastern Studies, November 7, 2025. https://www.osw.waw.pl/en/publikacje/analyses/2025-11-07/pragmatism- beyond-divides-central-asias-engagement-afghanistan.
