Great Power Competition in Central Asia

Central Asia has long been subject to the influence of Russia and China, as their proximity and historical relationships with these states have fostered longstanding strategic and economic ties. While American engagement with the Central Asian States has intensified as the U.S. seeks to access critical minerals, transportation corridors, and energy resources, centuries of Russian and Chinese interaction with the region pose significant competitive challenges. U.S.-Central Asian relations now stand at a pivotal moment, as the agreements reached at the C5+1 summit and the inclusion of Kazakhstan in the Abraham Accords stand to redefine this competition.

On December 9, the Center for the National Interest, in partnership with the International Tax and Investment Center, hosted a panel of leading experts on Central Asia.

—Ariel Cohen is Managing Director of the Energy, Growth and Security Program at the International Tax and Investment Center.

—Wesley Alexander Hill is Assistant Director of the Energy, Growth and Security Program at the International Tax and Investment Center.

—Roger Kangas is Academic Dean and Professor of Central Asia at the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, National Defense University.

—J.C. Lintzenich is National Security Advisor to U.S. Senator Thom Tillis.

—Dan Witt is President of the International Tax and Investment Center.

Andrew Kuchins, a Senior Fellow at the Center for the National Interest, moderated the discussion.