The US returns to region between Russia, China and Iran

In recent months, the Trump Administration has intensified its diplomacy in the strategically important greater Central Asia region, sandwiched between Russia, China, and Iran. The Administration brokered a peace declaration between Armenia and Azerbaijan, bringing an end to almost four decades of hostility. Part of that deal included the establishment of a major transit route that U.S. companies will operate.

More recently, President Trump hosted the presidents of the five Central Asian states at the White House and took the initiative to include Kazakhstan in the Abraham Accords. Put together, these moves represent an American return to greater Central Asia. This return has, in turn, been assisted by the recent rise of Turkish influence in the region, the most notable counterweight to Russian and Chinese domination in a long time. The weakening of Iran also creates an opportunity for Washington.