New Eastern Europe - November-December 2017

12

Nevertheless, the rules of the game in the region tend to be interpreted differ-

ently by each participant. The US, which for a long time has favoured a liberal and

integrationist approach to Central Asia, sees the region as a group of states willing

to deal multilaterally and to reach agreements over matters of security and energy

resources on a regional basis, as exemplified by the Central Asia+1 platform set up

by the Obama administration. In addition, at least up until the election of Donald

Trump, the US has favoured a reading of the region which is inclusive of Afghan-

istan and based, ideally, on a neoliberal understanding of economics and security.

It stressed the protection of human rights, granting political and civil rights and

fostering the enhancement of local economies along neoliberal lines.

With respect to Russia, several commentators, such as Marlene Laruelle and

Alexander Cooley, have put into question the influence that it can project in the

region. Yet Russia is still able to create leverage on the Central Asian states, with

which it retains considerable ties especially in the economic, security and cultural

domains. In terms of rules, Russia seems to favour a mix of multilateralism and

bilateralism, with the former exemplified by the operation of the CSTO in the

security field and the formation of the Eurasian Economic Union, and the latter

carried out via a series of meetings devoted to the discussion of security provision

and economic aid. Such rules, to be sure, are based on a strong statist reading both

Opinion & Analysis The new Great Game that is not, Filippo Costa Buranelli