Beyond the Great Game: the international political economy of Uzbekistan's relations with major powers

This research aims to explore why Russia and China have been more successful in establishing economic cooperation with post-Soviet Uzbekistan than the Western major powers. It will be based on the following key interrelated questions: Why do Russia and China win this so called 'New Great Game'? What is the role of Russia's attempt to reclaim its 'Great Power' status since 2000 and President Putin's attempt to build and expand the Eurasian Economic Union? What were the Chinese competitive strategies that shifted its attention towards Uzbekistan? What is the role of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in China's expanding trade relations with Uzbekistan? How do domestic politics, economics, and culture, formed historically, contribute to shaping Uzbekistan's international engagement? How can we conceptualise Uzbekistan's own post-Soviet foreign economic policy and its decision-making? To address these questions, the research will examine the role of the state and globalisation in Critical International Political Economy (CIPE), utilising mainly a neo-Gramscian approach, and analyse the interaction of various domestic and international factors. Based on these analyses I will show why Uzbekistan has sought to forge a lasting cooperation with the major powers like China and Russia rather than with the West.