The New Great Power Competition in Central Asia

What is it about?

After the collapse of the Soviet Union (SU) and the independence of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan, different regional and non-regional powers, such as Russia, China, the United States, the European Union, Turkey, Iran, India, and the GCC countries, sought to influence the region’s affairs, triggering a ‘modern great game’. The difference this time, however, is that many competitors are involved. The renewed and expanded interest towards Central Asia is rooted in its vast resources of oil, gas, water, gold, and other precious commodities. Moreover, it is geographically located at an important strategic crossroads that connects Europe with Asia. These factors encouraged other countries to develop integration, transportation and economic initiatives, thus acquiring a Eurasian flavour. Among them, the Russian-led EAEU, Chinese SREB, the EU’s TRACECA, the US’s NSR project, India-Russia-Iran-led INSTC, etc. The aim of this paper is to investigate the policies and strategies of the abovementioned powers, the possibilities for cooperation, and potential areas of disagreements between and among them in Central Asia.

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