The Strategic Case for the Silk Seven (S7+)
The S7+ concept rests on a strategic rationale for economic integration among Central Asia's major economies, including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, with potential expansion to include Afghanistan and Azerbaijan. Our research builds the foundational understanding for how such integration could reshape regional dynamics.
Beyond Bilateral
Central Asian states have historically engaged with external powers individually, limiting their leverage and leaving them vulnerable to exploitation. A coordinated economic bloc encompassing Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, with potential expansion to Pakistan and Afghanistan, would fundamentally alter this dynamics. Collective action creates bargaining power that no single Central Asian state can achieve alone.
A Greater Central Asia
An economically integrated region stretching from the Caspian Basin to the Arabian Sea would reshape Eurasian geopolitics. Such integration reduces dependence on any single external power, while creating new trade and investment opportunities. For the United States, a more economically integrated Central Asia offers a more capable partner in a region of growing strategic importance.
