FOREIGN RELATIONS IN CENTRAL ASIA: A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE SOVIET AND POST-SOVIET ERA

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 in Central Asia. the region's republics had no independent position in international relations as foreign affairs was formed and managed by the central government in Moscow. The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 made salient the geopolitical, economic, and cultural importance of the five former Soviet Central Asian republics. They reemerged as independent actors in the global interstate system and could have played a significant role in international affairs during the last three decades. The article aims to discuss the Central Asian region's position in the Soviet and post-Soviet eras. It explores how Central Asia as a "closed" region during the Soviet period changed its geopolitical position and became an influential actor in global affairs. In addition. the article addresses factors that have played important role in globalizing Central Asia.