The EU\'s and US\'s Central Asia Security Policy (2001-2020)

Geographical location, resource base and transit potential of Central Asian countries have always drawn attention from external actors. Due to the fact that Central Asia plays the role of the connecting link between the western and eastern parts of the Eurasia, maintaining stability is in the sphere of interests of all regional and international actors. A number of studies has focused on the security threats in Central Asia and the interests of the major global and regional powers in the region. However little research has been conducted on the specifics of the EU and US security policies in Central Asia and the factors that influence the differences in approaches of the two sides. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to analyze the priority areas of the EU and the United States within the framework of regional security in the Central Asian region in order to determine the factors that influence the difference in approaches in multilateral and bilateral formats. For this purpose, this study will address the following research questions: • What security threats exist in the region? • What are the priority areas of the EU and US security policy in Central Asia? • What factors influence the difference between the approaches of the EU and the USA? The research is based on the methods of case study and comparative analysis. The former will be employed to analyze EU and US security project activities in the region, whilst the latter will be used to compare the goals and tools of the EU and US security policy towards Central Asia, to identify the coinciding and specific priorities. The present research may contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the security threats in Central Asia and understanding of European and American approaches in maintaining stability in the region. This study may contribute to academic knowledge as well as provide both Western and Russian policy makers with a more comprehensive approach to addressing security issues in the Central Asian region, taking into account increasing security threats. Key words: security policy, security issues, security threats, Central Asia, areas of interaction, terrorism, religious extremism, drug trafficking, cooperation, US policy toward Central Asia, the EU strategy on Central Asia.