U.S. Launches Economic Initiative to Boost Trade in Central Asia

With Russia embroiled in Ukraine, and China’s economy cooling, the United States is pressing ahead with an initiative to bolster its influence in Central Asia. The catalyst is an economic mechanism fostering connectivity among states in the region and encouraging stronger public-private connections to enhance trade.

This new-look American initiative, with its clear emphasis on commerce, marks a departure from past US efforts to promote rule of law in the region. It embraces bottom-up tactics, rather than top-down methods that were the…