Ellen Wasylina was invited to contribute to a collective article following the C5+1 summit in Washington D.C. , entitled “Pivot to Central Asia” , with Ambassador Omar Samad and Dr. Assem Mayar.

Here is a short abstract :

”Ten years ago in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, the C5+1 format was launched—an ambitious diplomatic initiative linking the five Central Asian republics with the United States. Initially focused on regional security and development amid the U.S.-NATO counterinsurgency in Afghanistan, the platform has since matured into a strategic forum navigating great power competition, resource diplomacy, and connectivity. 

This month’s tenth anniversary summit in Washington marked a turning point. Hosted at the White House, it signaled a shift “from diplomacy to deals,” with critical minerals, infrastructure corridors, and private-sector mobilization at the forefront. The U.S. aims to position Central Asia as a key node in global supply chains and energy transition strategies. Yet geopolitical tensions loom as China and Russia, once again, assess Western inroads into their traditional sphere of influence. Furthermore, Afghanistan, sharing over 2,300 km of borders with three Central Asian states, remains a wildcard—more stable, rich with shared water and other resources, yet diplomatically isolated, and nowadays, at odds over security concerns with its Eastern neighbor, Pakistan.”

To continue reading the article, here is the link : https://worldaffairs21c.substack.com/p/the-central-asian-pivot?r=5yiphx&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=post-publish&triedRedirect=true