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Russia and Central Asia: from disinterest to eager leadership

22/10/2008 By Jos Boonstra

D.Astakhov/AFP/Getty Images

In this article, Jos Boonstra looks at the return of ‘the great game’ in Central Asia. Throughout the first decade after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia was absent from the region. Now it is back and seeks to use its cultural, linguistic and economic ties to boost its influence in the area.

It has an advantage over the EU in that it is happy to turn a blind eye to human rights violations. Russia wants stability and cheap energy supplies from the region. It will seek to increase its military presence partly to counter western involvement. Russia’s comeback in the region poses problems for the countries there seeking to retain their independence.

The EU needs to strengthen its presence in Central Asia so as not to leave the field open for Russia.

*This document was originally published as a part of "The EU-Russia centre review. Issue eight: Russian Foreign Policy", October 2008.

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Projects

The EU's Central Asia Strategy

Keywords

Central Asia and Russia Democratic control Energy Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Russia Security Tajikistan Turkmenistan Uzbekistan

Related publications

• The EU strategy for Central Asia: promoting democracy and human rights
• The EU Strategy for Central Asia: year one
• The food, energy and water nexus in Central Asia: Tajikistan

Bio author: Jos Boonstra

Jos Boonstra is Senior Researcher for the democratisation programme at FRIDE. He focuses on EU, NATO and OSCE policies in Eastern Europe and beyond, with specific attention to democratisation in the spheres of security and defence.