WASHINGTON -- Conditions are aligning for the U.S. to strengthen engagement with the mostly Turkic states of Central Asia, which collectively cover an area approximately 40% that of the continental U.S., lawmakers and analysts have noted in recent weeks.
The biggest catalyst is that Russia has been forced to redeploy much of its troops and defense equipment from Central Asia to Ukraine. This has left a security vacuum, with Central Asian governments -- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan -- looking for alternative security guarantors.
