Central Asia’s Energy Diplomacy in the Global South Amid Great Power Competition

Abstract

The Global South has emerged as an important analytical lens for understanding contemporary international relations in the context of shifting power structures and the transition toward a multipolar world order. (Acharya, 2018) Within this framework, energy diplomacy has become a crucial instrument through which Global South countries pursue development, security, and greater strategic autonomy. This paper examines Central Asia’s energy diplomacy from a Global South perspective, focusing on how the region navigates growing competition among major powers while advancing its own political, economic, and developmental priorities. (Pomfret, 2019).
Historically located at the crossroads of civilizations, Central Asia occupies a distinctive position in global politics due to its post-Soviet transformation, strategic geography, and shared developmental challenges with other regions of the Global South. Despite its geopolitical and energy significance, Central Asia remains underrepresented in Global South framework, which has largely focused on Asia, Africa, and Latin America. This paper seeks to address this gap by situating Central Asia more firmly within Global South discourse.
Much of the existing literature interprets Central Asia primarily through a geopolitical lens, portraying the region as a passive arena of great power rivalry over energy resources. Such approaches tend to overlook the agency of Central Asian states and their capacity to shape external engagements. Adopting a Global South perspective, this study emphasizes historical experience, development concerns, and state agency to better understand how Central Asian countries employ energy diplomacy to pursue national interests, diversify partnerships, and reduce external dependence.
The paper argues that Central Asia’s energy diplomacy reflects broader Global South strategies aimed at balancing external pressures while asserting autonomy in international affairs. By engaging with multilateral platforms and South-South cooperation initiatives, Central Asian states are increasingly contributing to alternative forms of global governance. Overall, the study offers a more nuanced understanding of Central Asia as an active participant in international relations and contributes to wider debates on development, power, and cooperation within the Global South.