Development Aid in Central Asia: A “Chessboard” for Great Powers?

Abstract

AbstractCentral Asia, once part of the Soviet Union's southern belt, quickly became a focal point for competing interests and donor influence after gaining independence in the early 1990s. Players in this arena include the so-called Western actors such as the European Union (EU) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), as well as major regional powers such as Russia and China. The main objective of the chapter is to examine how and in what ways the domestic rule of law institutions and the contexts of donor and organization development policies differ from each other, and how this gap is translated into rule of law promotion approaches abroad. This question is examined within the realm of externally assisted rule of law reform using the Central Asian region as a case study. To answer this question, this chapter compares rule of law promotion strategies of the EU, the OSCE, Russia, and China by breaking down development policies according to contextual understanding, goals, organization, promotion approaches, and objectives. Based on these comparative analyses, the chapter examines how the EU and the OSCE position themselves in the midst of a fierce struggle between the major regional powers in the still near and yet so distant Central Asia.