Rubio’s Uzbekistan trip underlines Central Asia’s hunt for diverse partners
Can the United States reassert influence with pragmatic, transactional approach to Central Asia?

Can the United States reassert influence with pragmatic, transactional approach to Central Asia?

![The Roghun Dam represents a great national idea in a country that knows the meaning of winter cold, power outages, and a rugged geography. [Al Jazeera]](https://aljazeeranews-3fuh52rgrl.edgeone.app/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/xxx-1779999346-1780062748.webp?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)


![The Roghun Dam represents a great national idea in a country that knows the meaning of winter cold, power outages, and a rugged geography. [Al Jazeera]](https://aljazeeranews-3fuh52rgrl.edgeone.app/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/xxx-1779999346-1780063299.webp?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)




Russia and Ukraine have swapped thousands of PoWs, but Mohammed* says he would rather fight alongside Kyiv than go home.
China is the region’s top trading partner, but Russia and the US both have a presence, too.
Providing funding to a repressive regime to construct the ‘highest dam in the world’ is a recipe for disaster.

Will we be able to win this race against time, or must we brace ourselves for an impending disaster?

Tajikistan’s foreign minister discusses climate change, human rights reports, and geopolitical developments.

Four men accused of participating in the ISIL-claimed attack on a Moscow theatre have appeared in court.
As the war enters its 584th day, these are the main developments.
Three days of rains cause flooding, landslides and mudflows, killing people in three towns in the centre of the country.
Moscow’s Ukraine struggles and neocolonialism have made its former partners in Central Asia turn to Beijing.