US-UZBEKISTAN RELATIONS DURING THE FIRST DONALD TRUMP ERA

Abstract

This article examines the United States’ foreign policy toward Central Asia during the first term of President Donald Trump (2017–2021). It argues that the Trump administration marked a strategic shift in US global posture: moving away from the Obama-era focus on countering Russia and cooperating with China, toward a policy of confrontation with China and rapprochement with Russia. Within the context of Central Asia—a region rich in energy resources and geopolitical significance—this realignment created new opportunities and challenges for regional states. The study highlights how Central Asian countries, particularly Uzbekistan under President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Kazakhstan under Nursultan Nazarbayev, pursued a multi‑vector foreign policy, balancing relations with the US, Russia, and China. It also analyzes the growing regional integration efforts among Central Asian states, US military and economic engagement (including the closure of bases and new investment deals), and the impact of the Afghan conflict. The author concludes that while competition among global powers will persist in Central Asia, regional states are likely to continue avoiding permanent alignment with any single power, instead leveraging great‑power rivalry for their own development.