At the beginning of the twenty-first century, Central Asia has re-emerged as a strategically significant region at the intersection of primary geopolitical, economic, and security interests. This article provides a comparative analysis of how the United States and the People’s Republic of China advance their geopolitical agendas in Central Asia through international organizations and multilateral formats. Moving beyond a bilateral perspective, the study conceptualizes international institutions as a key arena of institutionalized great-power competition. Drawing on qualitative comparative and institutional analysis, the article examines U.S.-led platforms such as NATO, the United Nations, the C5+1 format, and multilateral financial institutions alongside China-centered mechanisms, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Belt and Road Initiative, BRICS, and regional development banks. The findings demonstrate an apparent asymmetry in strategic approaches: the United States prioritizes security cooperation, political engagement, and normative influence within the framework of the liberal international order, while China emphasizes infrastructure development, energy connectivity, and credit-based economic integration with limited political conditionality. The study argues that international organizations function simultaneously as instruments of influence for external powers and as resources and constraints for Central Asian states. By engaging multiple institutional frameworks, regional actors pursue hedging strategies to strengthen foreign policy autonomy, diversify partnerships, and maximize economic benefits. However, this strategy also generates structural risks, including rising debt dependence and a gradual narrowing of strategic maneuverability. The article contributes to the literature by foregrounding the institutional dimension of U.S.–China competition in Central Asia and highlighting the active, though constrained, agency of regional states within an evolving multipolar order.
| Mualliflar | Uchkun Dustov |
|---|---|
| Jurnal | Xalqaro munosabatlar |
| Nashr sanasi | 2026-01-01 |
| Jild | 115 |
| Son | 1 |
| Til | en |
| DOI | 10.63407/669250 |
DOI: 10.63407/669250 · Maqolaning asl sahifasi · PDF
This article examines the evolving dynamics of U.S.–Canada relations during 2024–2026, arguing that the partnership has transitioned from seamless alignment to a state of managed friction. Despite deep integration in…
The current international system is one that is increasingly becoming more complex as it defies the understanding of unipolarism, bipolarism, or multipolarism. This article focuses on the fundamental shifts in world…
The article analyses the experience of digital transformation of the educational process at the University of World Economy and Diplomacy (UWED) through the implementation of an integrated system for managing academic…
This article examines the transformation of Uzbekistan’s foreign policy under President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, emphasizing the development of an open, pragmatic, and multi-vector diplomatic strategy. It analyzes the key…
This article substantiates the role of scientific popular tourism as a priority direction for state development. Analysis of current development, policy aimed at developing tourism, the role of multifaceted business in…
This article explores the role and effectiveness of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in emerging economies. It discusses the theoretical underpinnings of PPPs, highlights their importance in addressing infrastructure…
This article examines the approaches of countries in the international community towards the Taliban government in Afghanistan, which came to power in 2021 – a significant event with domestic, regional, and global…
National interest can be analyzed from two perspectives: what people think about it (primarily politicians and scientists), and as the object of an independent author's research, which claims to comprehend the essence…
International financial markets now present a range of uncertain opportunities and challenges in addition to acting as a stimulus for global economic growth. Technological revolutions have always shaped the financial…
This paper examines the emergence of the New Uzbek Diplomacy under President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, which has redefined Uzbekistan’s role in Central Asia and beyond. Since 2016, Uzbekistan has shifted from isolationism…