Central Asia Is Escaping The 'Backyard' Label

Central Asia Is Escaping The 'Backyard' Label Authored by Ziaulhaq Tanin via RealClearWorld, Three decades after their independence, Central Asia is still often viewed through outdated geopolitical lenses - a region once called "Russia's backyard" and more recently as an arena of competition among Russia, China, and the West. Yet this familiar narrative no longer captures the region's strategic reality. Central Asian states are increasingly using great-power rivalry not simply to navigate external pressure, but to expand their own choices and strategic room for maneuver. This transformation is driven not by a single event but by the convergence of several trends: the war in Ukraine, new connectivity corridors, China's...

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