Security issues in the region of Central Asia: challenges and prospects

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to analyze the security challenges and prospects facing the states of Central Asia after the collapse of the USSR. Three stages of formation and development of regional security systems of the countries of the Central Asian region are presented. The authors characterize the steps taken by the independent states of Central Asia to maintain security in the face of new challenges and trends. The collapse of the Soviet Union marked a major transformation in the political, economic, social and cultural fields in all the former Soviet republics. For many decades, the Central Asian region as part of the USSR was the ideological and political enemy of the West in the framework of the Cold War. Despite the previous historical experience of confrontation between the USSR and NATO, the geopolitical importance of the Central Asian region has always remained high. Significant changes were required in the creation and approaches to the issues of the security system. New relations with the border states of the Central Asian region that have received independent status, as well as foreign policy partners in the person of China, Western players (US and EU) and the Russian Federation, have created a platform for both geopolitical challenges and prospects for creating regional security. However, this process is not unambiguous and for more than thirty years of sovereignty of the countries of the region has been going on within three historical periods. This article not only traces and characterizes these three stages, but also assesses the current state of security systems in the region, offering pragmatic solutions and recommendations for improvement.