Central Asia’s New Dilemma

The countries of Central Asia, like all states, face the imperative to adjust their policies when global politics turn turbulent, even as they respond to regional security challenges. For the governments of Central Asia, early hopes that this great-power competition could benefit their states quickly faded. Now, the Central Asian governments need to find solutions to a new dilemma: as the United States, China, and Russia recalibrate their policies and interests, and in some cases turn away from the region,