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Opinion&Analysis
ThenewGreatGamethatisnot,FilippoCostaBuranelli
Moscow.Inthisregards,legislationregardingrestrictionsofcivilandpolitical
libertiesinCentralAsia,forexample,isoftenwelcomedbyMoscow.Tislegal
uniformityispresentedasanattempttoensureregionalorderandstability,andis
institutionallysupportedbytheInterparliamentaryAssemblyofMemberNations
oftheCISandbyArticle20oftheCISCharter,whichemphasisestheimportance
ofuco-ordinationofnationallegislations”
.Finally,Russiaalsotriestoexertcultural
influenceinCentralAsiaviamedia,booksandothersoftpowertools,aswellasby
representingthetopdestinationforworkingmigrantsfromtheregion.Tislast
aspectsignificantlyblursthelinesbetweensoftandhardpower,asRussiaoften
putstheumigrantquestion”onthetabletoexertpoliticalpressureonCentralAsian
states,inparticularKyrgyzstanandTajikistan.
Howevertheregionisnothomogeneous.UzbekistanandTurkmenistanhave
remainedinamoremarginalpositionwithrespecttomultilateralformatsofse-
curity,asnoneofthemisamembereitheroftheCSTOortheEEU.Tismaylead
onetothinkthatRussia’sstrategyinCentralAsiaisbestcharacterisedbywhat
AlexanderCooleyandMarleneLaruellehavecalledaumorefocusedlogicofhi-
erarchy”
,whichinvolvesdeepertieswithanarrowergroupofstates,specifically
gravitatingtowardsKazakhstan,KyrgyzstanandTajikistan.
ThedeeppocketofChina
Forthetimebeing,Chinaisthemaineconomicactorintheregion.Inother
words,thegameplayedbyBeijinginCentralAsiaisbasedonthedomesticneed
forenergyresources,investments,infrastructureanddevelopment.IftheUSsees
theregionasinherentlylinkedtoAfghanistan,andRussiaseesitasanappendixof
itspreviousSovietidentity,ChinaseesitasanextensionoftheXinjiangUyghur
AutonomousRegion(XUAR),awesternregionofChinawherethepopulationis
predominantlyMuslimandwhichhasseveralethnic,culturalandhistoricalties
withCentralAsia.
BeijinghaslongsoughttoincludeXUARinthewidersecurityandeconomic
framework,inordertoenhanceitscontroloverthearea.Inrecentyears,dem-
onstrationsandcallsforautonomyfromXUARhavebeenmorefrequentand
consistent,whichBeijingseesasachallengetoitsterritorialintegrityperpetuated
throughoccasionalactsofviolence.Tus,therecentinfrastructuralprojectcalled
theuBeltandRoadInitiative”
,aimedatlinkingChinatoEuropeviaCentralAsia,
canbeseenasservingBeijing’sinternalpurposes.ByrecentlyincludingIndiaand
PakistanintheSCOandbuildingastronganti-terrorismco-operationtofight
extremismandseparatism,ChinaseekstoensuregreaterstabilityaroundXUAR.
