Evgeny Troitskiy. U.S. Policy in Central Asia: inertia and innovation

The chaotic hasty withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in August 2021 made many analysts speak if not about the US withdrawal from Central Asia but about a sharp weakening of their position in the region. Indeed, the activity of American diplomacy in the countries of Central Asia has decreased for some time. But already in 2022, with the start of the special military operation (SMO) in Ukraine, the US Central Asian policy entered a new phase of activation.

Doctrines and goals

The Biden administration did not formulate new program guidelines for Central Asia. The policy document “US Strategy for Central Asia for 2019-2025”, adopted by the Trump administration in February 2020, remained in force, the C5 +1 format, multilateral meetings under the Trade and Investment Agreement, bilateral dialogue mechanisms were also preserved. The U.S. National Security Strategy, published in October 2022, speaks of continuing to “support the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity” of the Central Asian states, “resilience and democratic development” of the Central Asian countries, promoting their adaptation to climate change, promoting "integration in the region", its "connectivity with global markets", energy and food security.

However, the emphasis has changed. The visit of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in February 2020 was marked by predominantly anti-Chinese rhetoric: the Trump administration made it clear to its Central Asian partners that China was the main threat to their independence and sovereignty. Three years later, the visit of Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan on February 28 – March 1, 2023 was notable for the intensity of anti-Russian statements...