Kazakhstan News & Analysis

The C5+1 Summit is the latest of many historical attempts by Washington to engage with Central Asia, this time driven by growing great power competition and a need to diversify critical mineral supply chains. Could this time be different than the abortive initiatives of the past?

The symmetry between Washington’s nuclear push and Astana’s nuclear turn is a reminder that the two countries have more in common and more at stake together than many might assume.

The Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement illustrates the critical role that incremental diplomacy can play in conflict resolution. It’s also one where middle powers can take the lead.

While Central Asian integration is, realistically, still a distant objective on the horizon, regional cooperation on several issues continues, with Astana leading the way.

A volatile cocktail of climate stressors, weak institutions, and faltering water diplomacy is setting the stage for future water conflicts in Central Asia.

Examining the popular narrative of Russia’s waning influence in Central Asia against key economic, diplomatic, and security developments since the outbreak of the Ukraine war.

Amid mounting geopolitical risk, the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, or ‘Middle Corridor,’ is getting prepared to play a more central role in global trade.

Kazakhstan’s decision to abstain from BRICS membership aligns with broader foreign policy goals, namely maintaining a strategic balance between East and West.

There is now desert where much of the world’s fourth-largest lake used to be, and the economic, health, and environmental consequences for peoples living near the lake are enormous.

Twenty-seven years in the making, the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway is finally under construction. The route could be a game-changer in China-Europe trade; however, significant financial, technical, and geopolitical challenges remain.

A new, post-Ukraine war paradigm is emerging in Central Asia, that of triangular alignment between the poles of global power.

In the wake of the Ukraine war, Astana has been forced to strike a balance between enforcing US sanctions and ensuring its own domestic economy does not suffer collateral damage.

The list of fields of potential cooperation between the South Caucasus and Central Asia is endless; it’s time for this potential to be realized at the institutional level.

Part one in a series commemorating the 10-year anniversary of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, this article examines the original goals underpinning Xi Jinping’s landmark foreign policy.

Kazakhstan’s President Tokayev has signaled a new era of co-operation between the U.S. and Central Asia, with Astana playing a leading role.