Paper abstract:

This paper analyzes the New Great Game in Central Asia between Russia, China, and the US in Central Asia since the fall of the Soviet Union. The paper discusses the formation of independent Tajikistan, the civil war, and economic and political development in the country since the civil war. The work looks at the political, economic, and strategic relationship between Tajikistan and Russia, China, and the US. The paper also looks at the implications that the conflict in Afghanistan had on the Central Asian republics especially Tajikistan. The paper examines the situation on the Tajikistan-Afghanistan border especially in the Gorno-Badakhshan regions of Tajikistan and Afghanistan.

The paper looks at the theoretical implications in the foreign relations between great and small powers. It illustrates the constraints that small powers are operating under in their dealings with the major powers. The paper examines the economic, political, and strategic constraints that small powers are under. It also examines how they attempt to navigate and play off the major powers against each other.

This paper is part of a larger book project on the international politics of Central Asia. In this project I plan on examining the economic and political development of the Central Asian Republics, and their relations with the major powers.