This course examines international, regional and domestic cross-roads for five Former Soviet Union countries of Central Asia: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan. Using some references to history we will analyze the contemporary situation in these countries and study the dilemmas of peace and conflict, resource politics and regional power balance. We will also examine the USA-Russia-China competition in the region with a particular focus on China’s Belt and Road Initiative and its effect on Central Asian states.
In order to do this, we will analyze complex political, environmental and social issues involved in contemporary Central Asia in the context of international politics. The readings for the course consist of general international relations and comparative politics literature on the relevant subjects such as state-making and state-breaking, national versus clan loyalties, development of natural resources and environmental problems, Islamic movements and regional migration as well as scholarly works that focus specifically on Central Asia. In addition, we will look into some cross-national comparisons (mostly from Africa) and examine the role and aspirations of external actors in the region (including Russia, United States, China, Iran, Turkey, and Afghanistan).