Central Asia’s pivotal geographical position allowed it to play an essential role in relations among nations of Eurasia in the Middle Ages,as the bridge between China and Europe.Yet,during the Russian and then the Soviet rule on Central Asia,the region’s republics had no independent position in international community as foreign relations were formed and managed by central government in Moscow.The collapse of the Union of Soviet in 1991 made salient the geopolitical,economic,and cultural importance of the five former Soviet Central Asian republics.Accordingly,the republics reemerged as independent actors in the global interstate system and could play a role in international affairs during the last three decades.This paper aims to compare Central Asia’s foreign relations in the Soviet and Post-Soviet era.
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