러시아ㆍ유라시아

More than twenty years after independence due to the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Central Asian countries remain their focus on a ‘New Great Game’. From an initial narrative that surrounded the battle for energy between China and Russia, the power balance in the region is translating to a trilateral structure. The re-focus of US foreign policy to the region has fundamentally changed the nature of conflict in this area. This paper seeks to make a full assessment of the key regional characteristics of conflict in Central Asia and the post-9/11 US foreign policy in this region, particularly since the withdrawal of US combat forces from Afghanistan. It concludes by emphasizing several areas for opportunity in maintaining and resolving conflicts and bilateral and multilateral convergent interests. The paper also highlights that the three major powers in the region, US, Russia and China, lack trilateral cooperation efforts which could result in divergent local interests and elevated degree of conflagration.