Fueling Dependence: Central Asia’s Growing Energy Security Challenges

Dan Lundberg, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Madelynn Linet For decades, Russia has remained one of Central Asia’s largest suppliers of oil and petroleum products. However, recent disruptions to Russia’s oil-refining industry and the introduction of restrictions on fuel exports have exposed the risks of high dependence on Russian energy supplies. Russian... Continue Reading →

September 28, 2026 0

Central Asia’s Alternative: Western Investment in Central Asia

By John W. Parks Central Asia’s open doors have increasingly welcomed foreign investment over the decade. Though China throws large swaths of money at the region, the West (the U.S. and Europe) are not sitting the bench in this great game. Western interests and investments in Central Asia reflect the increasingly globalized nature of the... Continue Reading →

February 16, 2025 0

Low-Altitude, High-Reward: Expanding China’s Drone Market into Kazakhstan

By: John W. Parks Following recent industrial trends, China has begun the expansion of an innovative market into the Central Asian region. Kazakh Invest, a nationalized investment company of Kazakhstan, signed agreements with two Chinese drone producers to build manufacturing hubs in the Almaty region of Kazakhstan. As of January 2025, Yesil Technology Company and... Continue Reading →

February 2, 2025 0

Trans-Caspian Trade: Growth and Development of the Middle Corridor

By John W. Parks As war in Ukraine continues to damage Russia’s credibility and economic security, other Eurasian producers have been forced to utilize alternative avenues of trade. In response, China, along with Turkey, the European Union, and Central Asian states have dedicated increasingly more resources to the development and expansion of a bypass route.... Continue Reading →

February 2, 2025 0

Halfway There: Middle Kingdom’s Road Returns:

By John W. Parks As of November 2024, construction has begun on the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railroad (CKU) inside Kyrgyzstan. The railroad will connect the Uzbek terminal of Andijan to the Chinese terminal of Kashgar, passing through several Kyrgyz cities and the Fergana Valley along the way. Leaders of these countries have championed the construction of this... Continue Reading →

December 2, 2024 0

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