Central Asia

Central Asia’s Middle Corridor Expansion: Opportunity for China and Iran

The sustained attacks on merchant shipping in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels since November 2023 have given a fresh boost to a budding Central Asian trade network known as the “Middle Corridor” and, in so doing,...

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Why the West Should Stick with Conventional Arms Control in Europe for Now

On May 10, 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree that marked the end of an era. He formally initiated Russia’s withdrawal from the Treaty on Conventional Arms Forces in Europe (CFE Treaty or “Treaty”). The Treaty obliges...

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New Canal Threatens the Peace Between the Taliban and Central Asia

When the Taliban entered Kabul in mid-August 2021, the Central Asian governments, with the exception of the Tajik government, simply continued, to the extent possible, business as usual with Afghanistan. Uzbekistan temporarily closed its border crossings with Afghanistan, mainly...

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Stress-Testing Chinese-Russian Relations

The statements could not have been more different. As Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapped up his visit to Russia in March, the two governments released a joint statement that described their relations as having reached “their highest level in...

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China Is Finally Making Progress on the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway

China has struggled to gain support from its Central Asian neighbors to build the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) railway since the 1990s. The CKU railway is crucial to China for two interconnected purposes—to advance its geopolitical interests and to secure favorable...

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The Middle Corridor through Central Asia: Trade and Influence Ambitions

The “Middle Corridor”—a loosely defined trade route that spans the Central Asian steppe, the Caspian Sea, and the Caucasus mountains—has both engendered excitement and disappointment for almost two decades. Also known as the China-Central Asia-West Asia Corridor, it links...

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Russia Is Down, But Not Out, in Central Asia

Russian President Vladimir Putin has long seen Central Asia as Russia’s “most stable region.” He has regularly exerted influence and political pressure over its leaders. However, after decades of stability, the last year has seen Russia’s influence in Central...

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Filling the Geopolitical Void in Central Asia

Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan: The Poorest Countries in Central Asia Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are probably the most dependent on Russia of all the Central Asian states. Some 1.1 million migrant laborers from Kyrgyzstan and 1.6 million from Tajikistan worked abroad...

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Central Asia and China’s Taiwan Dilemma

The existence of the Republic of China in Taiwan as a separate entity from the People’s Republic of China in Beijing is the single largest threat to the survival of the Chinese Communist Party. For years, Beijing has pursued...

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Europe’s Wait for Turkmen Natural Gas Continues

In response to the Kremlin’s war on Ukraine, the European Union is moving to wean itself off Russian natural gas. While the move makes sound geopolitical sense, cutting off Russian gas supplies has already caused economic pain. Before the...

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