Uzbekistan Tourism: The Quality Imperative
By Mamuka Tsereteli
This article examines how Uzbekistan can strengthen its economic security by leveraging its extraordinary cultural heritage and strategic positioning to transition from a volume-driven tourism model towards more of a value-driven approach. Targeted policy analysis and strategic planning for sustainable tourism development can accelerate this transformation. Global tourism experienced robust growth in 2025, with international tourist arrivals reaching 1.52 billion worldwide - a 4% increase over 2024 and a new post-pandemic record. International tourism receipts totaled an estimated $1.9 trillion, representing 5% growth year-on-year, while total export revenues from tourism (including passenger transport) reached approximately $2.2 trillion. Within this expanding global market, destinations are increasingly competing not merely for visitor numbers but for higher-value tourism segments. The most successful destinations are those that have strategically positioned themselves to attract tourists who stay longer, spend more, and engage more deeply with local cultures and communities.
Brokers on the Bloc: Central Asian Alignment Through Collective Security
By John DiPirro
Russia’s diminishing influence in the South Caucasus, highlighted by the nascent Azerbaijan-Armenia rapprochement, has opened political and security space for new actors to shape the regional order not just in the South Caucasus, but across Eurasia—including, most notably, in Central Asia. Türkiye’s expanding military-industrial presence and institutional influence give it the unique opportunity to develop a strong relationship with the Central Asian states. But it cannot do so alone. Azerbaijan, positioned between Türkiye and Central Asia, can serve as a bridge between the two, translating Turkish capacity into Central Asian contexts.
Crossroads of Uncertainty: Iran’s Regional Vulnerabilities and Armenia’s Security Challenges
By Anna Gevorgyan
The foreign and security architecture of Armenia has been largely shaped by the transformations of the role and capacity of regional actors after the 2020 Second Karabakh War. Russia’s continuing weakness due to its invasion of Ukraine, Turkey’s growing role in the region, and Iran’s increasing vulnerability due to security challenges and economic crisis have been the key drivers shaping regional developments. At the global level, the US's growing interest in involvement in regional affairs has become another important feature in Armenia’s future.
Read Crossroads of Uncertainty
Kazakhstan-Russia Relations After 2022: Sources of Contention, Points of Pressure
By Nargis Kassenova
The dramatic events of 2022 - the January unrest in Kazakhstan and Russia’s war against Ukraine - upended the status quo in Kazakhstan-Russia relations. Astana must now address both long-standing vulnerabilities—security, political, and economic—and new pressures in areas such as inter-elite relations (as they shape up in the process of "denazarbayevization"), nuclear energy, and history writing. The Tokayev government seeks to accommodate Russia as much as possible while advancing Kazakhstan’s sovereignty, which requires constant adjustments and trade-offs.
Read Kazakhstan-Russia Relations After 2022: Sources of Contention, Points of Pressure
Visit also
