Temur Umarov is a fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center. His research is focused on Central Asian countries’ domestic and foreign policies, as well as China’s relations with Russia and Central Asian neighbors.
A native of Uzbekistan, Temur Umarov has degrees in China studies and international relations from the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, and Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO). He holds an MA in world economics from the University of International Business and Economics (Beijing). He is also an alumnus of the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center’s Young Ambassadors and the Carnegie Endowment’s Central Asian Futures programs.
Prior to joining Carnegie, Umarov worked as an assistant to a deputy director in the Chinese automobile manufacturer Lifan Group's CIS representative office, where he was responsible for the development of business to Central Asia and the South Caucasus.
Türkiye is an important transatlantic actor in Sino-Western competition. It can add value to Western efforts aimed at synchronizing policies toward a rising China. And yet, at present, Ankara’s policies on China are not harmonized with those of its partners in the West.
As the transatlantic allies adapt to Europe’s new geopolitical realities, maintaining unity against Russia will be critical. Türkiye will have a pivotal role to play in this long-term effort.
Normalizing discrimination against vulnerable groups like immigrants will make it easier for the Russian state to embark on future rounds of repression.
The decline of the United States’ influence in Eurasia and Russia’s aggression against Ukraine have thrust the smaller nations of Central Asia into the global spotlight.
Russia-China competition and an expanded membership have turned the Eurasian security grouping into little more than a talking shop.
China’s growing attention to Central Asia is perceived as a harbinger of tectonic shifts in regional geopolitics.
Beijing’s refusal to take part does not mean it wants to keep its distance from the Ukraine war. Instead, it will look for allies in the Global South.
The serious snag in relations between Moscow and Dushanbe is further prompting other Central Asian governments to rethink their approach to Russia and their own security.
The suspected shooters in the Crocus City attack were Tajiks, which has caused a backlash against labor migrants in Russia. Relations between Tajikistan and Russia, however, are unlikely to be impacted.
Russia has its Eurasian Economic Union, and China has its Belt and Road Initiative. For both projects, Central Asia is important.
