Author: Yevgeniya Mikhailidi

Donald Trump is back in the White House, stirring excitement in Washington. In Central Asia, however, the response is muted. For leaders from Kazakhstan to Uzbekistan, there’s little reason to think that Trump’s “America First” doctrine will bring renewed attention their way. This region, once a vital cog in America’s war on terror, now watches as power and attention shift elsewhere. Bruce Pannier, an American journalist who has long covered the region, puts it plainly: “I think Central Asia will almost disappear from the U.S. foreign policy radar. Trump wasn’t very interested in Central Asia when he was president and…