In recent years, much of Washington’s, and indeed, the world’s, focus has been trained on Asia’s maritime spaces. Much ink has been spilled on the South China Sea, the contested maritime commons, China’s rise as a naval and oceangoing power, the complex interplay between nations of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, and the U.S. strategic role. But this singular focus on the water risks ignoring dynamic developments in Asia’s land spaces. The vast Eurasian landmass is not just where the interests of several major powers intersect but also where local players now exercise greater agency for independent action and coalitional self-help than ever before.
Carnegie Vice President Evan Feigenbaum will launch a new initiative with Carnegie colleagues Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili, Temur Umarov, and Nicole Grajewski, joined by Asel Doolotkeldieva, a nonresident fellow at The George Washington University. They will focus on strategic dynamics in continental Asia and how regional players—not the United States or the transatlantic West—are driving both diplomacy and regional integration.