THE IMPACT OF REGIONAL INTEGRATION PROCESSES IN CENTRAL ASIA ON THE GEOPOLITICAL BALANCE AND ITS FUNCTION IN TRANSFORMING THE ROLE OF EXTERNAL POWERS
Keywords:
Central Asia, regional integration, geopolitical balance, strategic autonomy, collective subjectivity, C5+1, external power transformation, multi-vector foreign policy, neo-regionalism, regional agency.Abstract
This article examines the impact of regional integration processes in Central Asia on the geopolitical balance of the region and their function in transforming the role of external powers, within a multi-layered theoretical and empirical framework. The study draws upon Mackinder's Heartland theory, Brzezinski's Grand Chessboard approach, neo-regionalism, complex regionalism, and strategic autonomy concepts, as well as the theoretical positions of regional scholars such as Dadabaev, Kassenova, Rakhimov, Mukhamediya, Sharshenova, and Knyazev. The article argues that the integration phase initiated and intensified since 2016 is elevating Central Asia from a geopolitical object to a collective strategic subject. Six mechanisms through which integration affects geopolitical balance are analysed theoretically and empirically: the formation of collective subjectivity, the expansion of strategic autonomy, balancing between external actors, the reduction of external manipulation through internal coordination, the impact of geo-economic integration on the security architecture, and the geopolitical function of transport corridors.
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