UZBEKISTAN AS A POLITICAL AND DIPLOMATIC NEXUS OF CENTRAL ASIA: THE EVOLUTION OF FOREIGN POLICY AND THE PROSPECTS FOR ATTRACTING INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT

Abstract

This article explores Uzbekistan's emergence as the foremost political and diplomatic hub of Central Asia, tracing the country's foreign policy trajectory from the isolationism of the post-independence era under Islam Karimov to the assertive, multi-vector diplomacy that has defined the Mirziyoyev era since 2016. Drawing on scholarly literature and recent statistical data, the study analyses the structural drivers and institutional mechanisms underpinning Uzbekistan's growing regional centrality: the initiation of Consultative Meetings of Central Asian Heads of State, record-breaking foreign direct investment reaching $43.1 billion in 2025, active stewardship of international organisations, and an ambitious infrastructure and digitalisation agenda. The article also maps the persistent structural risks — asymmetric dependence on Chinese capital, institutional gaps, geopolitical balancing pressures and transboundary water tensions — that condition the country's long-term trajectory. The analysis confirms the analytical utility of the concept of the 'economisation of foreign policy' as applied to contemporary Uzbekistan and argues that the country possesses the structural foundations necessary to consolidate its position as the leading political, diplomatic and investment centre of Central Asia.