U.S. INTERESTS IN CENTRAL ASIA
Keywords:
great power competition, Central Asia, US foreign policy, postliberal order, geopolitics, strategic competition, greater Central Asia, regional security, Afghanistan, Eurasian connectivity.Abstract
This article analyzes the transformation of United States policy toward Central Asia in 2021–2026 within the broader context of global strategic competition. It argues that shifts in the international system, driven by the Afghanistan withdrawal, the Ukraine war, and US–China rivalry, have redefined the region’s significance. The study highlights the emergence of Greater Central Asia as a geopolitical concept and emphasizes the region’s role as a structural component of great power competition,
rather than an independent priority in American foreign policy
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