Central Asia's Path to Regional Cooperation - Aijan Sharshenova
The video explores the challenges and opportunities for Central Asia regional cooperation, drawing parallels with the Middle East. Central Asia faces hurdles rooted in its Soviet legacy, including path dependency and unresolved border disputes. Varied economic and geopolitical circumstances among nations, such as resource wealth in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan versus economic struggles in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, add complexity. External powers like Russia and China also significantly influence the region. Despite these challenges, there is growing recognition of shared identity, history, and interests, fostering political will for integration. Parallels with the Middle East include shared colonial legacies, multi-vector foreign policies to balance global powers, and pragmatic, interest-driven cooperation. Opportunities for collaboration span economic investments led by key players like Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, alongside burgeoning tourism and cultural exchanges. Both regions emphasize non-conflictual, mutually beneficial partnerships, creating a foundation for deeper ties.
This video is part of the Center’s series on Responsible Business. The series explores economic factors and business initiatives that can be used to create more productive and peaceful economies.
Speaker Biography
Aijan Sharshenova is a Bishkek-based political analyst and the Executive Director at Crossroads Central Asia think tank (Kyrgyzstan). She holds two master’s degrees in EU and Central Asian studies and in international studies, and a PhD in politics from the University of Leeds. Aijan’s research interests include foreign policy and soft power, as well as democracy promotion, and autocracy diffusion. She published extensively on Central Asian politics, focusing on the region’s relations with the EU, Russia and China. Aijan is the author of The European Union’s Democracy Promotion in Central Asia (2018) and co-edited a recent book on navigating positionality in research. In addition to her academic career, Aijan has worked on promoting sustainable development goals in the international development area, including within the UN system in the Middle East.
