The Central Asian republics are self-organizing in the wake of the NATO evacuation from Afghanistan in August 2021. The republics are wedged between Russia, China, Iran, and Afghanistan, and are pursing multi-vector foreign policies to ensure economic growth, and to ensure they can navigate among the local powers, and the U.S. and Europe, even though the latter have antagonistic relations with Russia, China, Iran, and Afghanistan. The republics know, “When the elephants fight the grass suffers.” Uzbekistan is an example of the political…
