--- title: "Societal Transformations and Global Challenges in" description: "Societal Transformations and Global Challenges in Central Asia is a professional conference in Lund, Sweden, Dec 14–16, 2026." url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/conferences/professional/societal-transformations-and-global-challenges-in-central-asia-2026" --- # Societal Transformations and Global Challenges in Central Asia Dec 14–16, 2026[Lund, Sweden](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1\&query=Lund%2C%20Sweden)In-person [Registration open](https://www.norca.lu.se/article/call-papers-societal-transformations-and-global-challenges-central-asia) This conference, hosted in Lund, SWE, focuses on the multifaceted societal transformations and global challenges impacting Central Asia. It provides a platform for in-depth discussions on the region's evolving geopolitical landscape, internal dynamics, and its increasing relevance in international relations. The event aims to foster a comprehensive understanding of the complex interplay between local developments and global trends affecting countries such as KAZ, UZB, KGZ, TJK, and TKM. ## Committees & topics - Topics Governance, Law, and Political Transformation in Central Asia · Corruption, Informality, and Social Norms in Central Asia · Migration, Mobility, and Diasporas · Climate Change, Environment, and Sustainability · Digitalization, AI, and Technological Change · Gender, Identity, and Social Change · Political Economy and Development · International Relations and Geopolitics ## Why it matters Central Asia, a region historically at the crossroads of civilizations, is currently undergoing significant societal shifts driven by both internal factors and external pressures. Understanding these transformations is crucial for policymakers, researchers, and international organizations seeking to engage constructively with the region. The conference's focus on global challenges highlights the interconnectedness of Central Asian developments with broader international issues, including economic shifts, security concerns, and environmental changes. The region's strategic location, bordering major powers like CHN and RUS, and its proximity to AFG, further amplifies its geopolitical importance. The discussions at this conference will shed light on how these external influences shape the internal trajectories of Central Asian states and how the region, in turn, impacts global stability and economic corridors. This event offers a timely opportunity to analyze these intricate relationships and their implications for international diplomacy and cooperation. ## How to prepare To effectively engage with the themes presented at this conference, participants should undertake a thorough review of the current geopolitical and socioeconomic landscapes of Central Asian countries. A strong understanding of the historical context, including the post-Soviet transitions and the emergence of new regional identities, will be invaluable. Participants should also familiarize themselves with the various external actors, such as CHN, RUS, USA, KOR, TUR, and CHE, and their respective interests and engagement strategies in the region. Consider preparing case studies or analytical frameworks that can be applied to specific challenges or transformations within Central Asia. For instance, applying a \[Dynamic Analysis](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/lessons/dynamic-analysis)\ approach to understand the evolving political economies or utilizing \[Gender Dynamics Across Cultures](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/lessons/gender-dynamics-across-cultures)\ to analyze social changes could provide valuable insights. Additionally, identifying \Hidden Stakeholders\ and understanding their influence is critical for a nuanced perspective on regional developments. Preparing to discuss potential \Engagement Strategies\ for international cooperation in the region would also be beneficial. ## Country perspectives Where the most-relevant 5 countries stand on the core issues in play. Click through for the full country profile. [Kazakhstan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kazakhstan) [A key player in Central Asia, KAZ's perspective often centers on economic diversification, regional security, and balancing relations with major global powers.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kazakhstan) [Role in topic](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kazakhstan) [As the largest economy in Central Asia, KAZ's societal transformations, particularly in areas of economic reform and political stability, significantly influence regional dynamics and attract considerable international attention.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kazakhstan) [Uzbekistan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/uzbekistan) [UZB's recent reform agenda under new leadership emphasizes openness, regional integration, and attracting foreign investment.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/uzbekistan) [Role in topic](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/uzbekistan) [UZB's ongoing domestic reforms and its proactive regional diplomacy are central to discussions on societal change and new opportunities for cooperation within Central Asia.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/uzbekistan) [Kyrgyzstan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kyrgyzstan) [KGZ often highlights its unique democratic experiences and the challenges of political transitions and civil society development.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kyrgyzstan) [Role in topic](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kyrgyzstan) [KGZ's experiences with political pluralism and its efforts to navigate complex internal and external pressures offer important case studies for understanding societal transformations in the region.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kyrgyzstan) [Tajikistan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/tajikistan) [TJK's perspective is often shaped by its geopolitical position, particularly its border with AFG, and concerns over regional security and stability.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/tajikistan) [Role in topic](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/tajikistan) [TJK's role is crucial in discussions concerning regional security, border management, and the impacts of instability in neighboring regions on Central Asian societies.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/tajikistan) [Turkmenistan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/turkmenistan) [TKM's stance typically focuses on its neutrality policy and its significant energy resources, influencing its engagement with global challenges.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/turkmenistan) [Role in topic](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/turkmenistan) [TKM's unique political system and its approach to economic development and international relations provide a distinct viewpoint on societal transformations and global challenges in the region.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/turkmenistan) ## Topics & background The background behind each topic and the actors that shape it. 1 ### Governance, Law, and Political Transformation in Central Asia Since independence in 1991, the five Central Asian republics—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan—have followed divergent political trajectories from a shared Soviet legacy of single-party rule. Most consolidated around strong presidential systems, with leadership transitions in Turkmenistan (2006, 2022), Uzbekistan (2016), and Kazakhstan (2019) testing the durability of personalist regimes. Kyrgyzstan has experienced three revolutions (2005, 2010, 2020) and oscillated between parliamentary and presidential models, while Tajikistan emerged from a 1992-97 civil war into entrenched authoritarianism under Emomali Rahmon. The past decade has seen incremental legal reforms framed as modernization: Uzbekistan's post-Karimov opening, Kazakhstan's constitutional referendum following the January 2022 Qandy Qantar unrest, and Kyrgyzstan's 2021 constitutional overhaul concentrating power in the presidency. These reforms have professionalized parts of the bureaucracy and judiciary but have not produced competitive multiparty politics, and civic space has narrowed in parallel with high-profile crackdowns on journalists, lawyers, and protest movements (e.g., Karakalpakstan in 2022, Gorno-Badakhshan in 2022). Today the central question is whether reformist rhetoric—'New Uzbekistan,' 'Just Kazakhstan'—will translate into rule-of-law institutions capable of constraining executives and managing succession, or whether modernization will remain a tool of regime maintenance. Debate also concerns the role of the OSCE, Venice Commission, and EU rule-of-law assistance in a region where external democratic leverage is limited. Key players - [Kazakhstan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kazakhstan) [Largest economy, post-2022 constitutional reforms and 'Just Kazakhstan' agenda](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kazakhstan) - [Uzbekistan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/uzbekistan) [Most populous state, leading the region's reformist opening since 2016](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/uzbekistan) - [Kyrgyzstan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kyrgyzstan) [Most politically volatile, repeated constitutional rewrites and revolutions](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kyrgyzstan) - [Tajikistan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/tajikistan) [Highly centralized post-civil war regime with constrained civic space](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/tajikistan) - [Turkmenistan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/turkmenistan) [Closed personalist system with dynastic 2022 leadership transition](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/turkmenistan) 2 ### Corruption, Informality, and Social Norms in Central Asia Corruption and informal economic practices in Central Asia trace back to late-Soviet shadow economies and patronage networks that survived and adapted after 1991. Privatization in the 1990s often transferred state assets to politically connected elites, embedding clan-based and regionally rooted networks at the apex of the new states. Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index has consistently ranked Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan among the world's most corrupt, with Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan only marginally better. Informality pervades daily life: unofficial payments for health care and education, the bazaar economy, labor migration remittances flowing outside formal banking, and customary practices such as bride kidnapping (ala kachuu) in Kyrgyzstan or mahalla-based dispute resolution in Uzbekistan. High-profile cases—the 2019 'Plov-gate' Uzbek customs scandal, the asset recovery investigations following Kazakhstan's 2022 unrest, and Swiss and U.S. probes into the Karimova and Nazarbayev family wealth—have spotlighted kleptocratic flows into Western financial systems. Current debates focus on anti-corruption agencies (Kazakhstan's Anti-Corruption Agency, Uzbekistan's Anti-Corruption Agency established 2020), asset recovery and return frameworks under UNCAC, and the tension between formal reform and deeply rooted social norms governing gift-giving, kinship obligation, and trust in informal over formal institutions. Key players - [Uzbekistan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/uzbekistan) [Major anti-corruption reform agenda and high-profile asset recovery cases](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/uzbekistan) - [Kazakhstan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kazakhstan) [Post-2022 push to recover elite assets and reform procurement](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kazakhstan) - [Kyrgyzstan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kyrgyzstan) [Anti-corruption campaigns under Japarov framed around customs and mining](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kyrgyzstan) - [Tajikistan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/tajikistan) [Entrenched patronage with limited transparency reform](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/tajikistan) - [Switzerland](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/switzerland) [Key jurisdiction for frozen Central Asian elite assets and StAR cases](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/switzerland) - [United States](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) [Lead actor in kleptocracy sanctions and FCPA enforcement affecting the region](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) 3 ### Migration, Mobility, and Diasporas Central Asia is one of the world's most remittance-dependent regions. Since the 2000s, millions of labor migrants—primarily from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan—have worked in Russia, with remittances at times exceeding 30% of GDP in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, the highest ratios globally according to World Bank data. The Eurasian Economic Union (2015) granted Kyrgyz and Kazakh citizens easier labor access to Russia, while Uzbek and Tajik migrants have faced a harsher legal regime. Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine reshaped these flows. Migrant workers were pressured into Russian military contracts, the ruble's volatility hit remittance values, and after the March 2024 Crocus City Hall attack—blamed on Tajik nationals—Russia tightened entry rules, deportations, and registration enforcement. Simultaneously, hundreds of thousands of Russians relocated to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan, creating new mobility patterns. Central Asian states are also navigating onward migration to South Korea, Turkey, the Gulf, and the EU, and managing the repatriation of citizens and children from Syrian and Iraqi camps under operations such as Kazakhstan's Jusan. Key debates concern migrant rights protections, bilateral labor agreements, diaspora engagement (voting, investment, remittance channels), human trafficking, and the diversification of destinations to reduce dependence on the Russian labor market. Key players - [Russia](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/russia) [Primary destination for Central Asian labor migrants and remittance source](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/russia) - [Uzbekistan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/uzbekistan) [Largest sending state with active bilateral labor diplomacy](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/uzbekistan) - [Tajikistan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/tajikistan) [Most remittance-dependent economy, hit hardest by 2024 Russian restrictions](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/tajikistan) - [Kyrgyzstan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kyrgyzstan) [EAEU member with integrated labor mobility to Russia and Kazakhstan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kyrgyzstan) - [Kazakhstan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kazakhstan) [Both sending and receiving country, host to Russian relocants since 2022](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kazakhstan) - [South Korea](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/south-korea) [Growing destination under bilateral employment permit schemes](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/south-korea) 4 ### Climate Change, Environment, and Sustainability Central Asia is warming at roughly twice the global average, with profound consequences for a region whose economies and societies depend on snow- and glacier-fed rivers. The Aral Sea catastrophe—shrunk to less than 10% of its 1960 volume by Soviet cotton-driven diversion of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya—remains the world's starkest cautionary tale of water mismanagement, and a UN Multi-Partner Human Security Trust Fund for the Aral Sea region was established in 2018. Glacial retreat in the Tien Shan and Pamir, projected at 30-50% loss of ice mass by 2050, threatens long-term water security for downstream Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Transboundary water disputes are sharpening. Upstream Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan seek to expand hydropower (Rogun, Kambarata-1), while downstream states demand irrigation flows. Afghanistan's Qosh Tepa Canal, under construction since 2022, could divert up to a quarter of the Amu Darya. Energy systems remain fossil-heavy: Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan are major hydrocarbon producers, with Turkmenistan's methane super-emitter status repeatedly flagged by satellite monitoring. Dust storms from the dried Aralkum and worsening air pollution in Tashkent, Bishkek, and Almaty have become public health crises. Under the Paris Agreement, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have pledged net-zero by 2060 and 2050 respectively, and the EU's Global Gateway and the Trans-Caspian green energy corridor are channeling investment into renewables and critical minerals. Debates center on the proposed Regional Water and Energy Consortium, methane abatement, just transition for coal regions, and adaptation finance. Key players - [Uzbekistan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/uzbekistan) [Downstream water user, Aral Sea host, ambitious renewables targets](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/uzbekistan) - [Kazakhstan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kazakhstan) [Major hydrocarbon producer with 2060 net-zero pledge and critical minerals reserves](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kazakhstan) - [Turkmenistan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/turkmenistan) [Top global methane emitter from oil and gas operations](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/turkmenistan) - [Tajikistan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/tajikistan) [Upstream hydropower state advancing the Rogun Dam](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/tajikistan) - [Kyrgyzstan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kyrgyzstan) [Glacier-dependent upstream state vulnerable to climate shocks](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kyrgyzstan) - [Afghanistan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/afghanistan) [Qosh Tepa Canal project reshaping Amu Darya basin hydrology](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/afghanistan) 5 ### Digitalization, AI, and Technological Change Central Asian states have prioritized digital transformation as a vector of economic modernization and, in some cases, social control. Kazakhstan launched 'Digital Kazakhstan' in 2017 and has positioned Astana Hub as a regional IT cluster; Uzbekistan's IT Park in Tashkent has attracted over a thousand resident companies and built an export-oriented digital services sector. Internet penetration has risen sharply, mobile-first e-government platforms (eGov.kz, my.gov.uz) have expanded, and biometric national ID systems are widespread. The Russian invasion of Ukraine accelerated tech migration into the region: thousands of Russian and Belarusian IT specialists and several major firms relocated to Almaty, Tashkent, and Bishkek, boosting local ecosystems but raising sanctions-compliance and brain-flow questions. Cross-border digital infrastructure—the Trans-Caspian fiber-optic cable project, Starlink negotiations, and Chinese-built surveillance and smart city systems—are reshaping connectivity. At the same time, internet shutdowns during unrest (Kazakhstan January 2022, Karakalpakstan July 2022, Gorno-Badakhshan), restrictive media laws, and expanded facial-recognition deployment have drawn criticism from OHCHR and Freedom House. Debates now focus on AI governance frameworks (Kazakhstan's draft AI law, Uzbekistan's 2030 AI strategy), data protection alignment with GDPR-style standards, digital literacy, and the balance between innovation, sovereignty, and rights in a region where the Global Digital Compact's principles will be tested against authoritarian governance practices. Key players - [Kazakhstan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kazakhstan) [Regional digital and AI hub, host of Astana Hub and draft AI legislation](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kazakhstan) - [Uzbekistan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/uzbekistan) [Rapidly growing IT Park ecosystem and 2030 AI strategy](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/uzbekistan) - [Kyrgyzstan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kyrgyzstan) [Tech relocation destination with recurring internet restriction controversies](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kyrgyzstan) - [Russia](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/russia) [Source of post-2022 tech talent migration and sanctions-evasion concerns](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/russia) - [China](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/china) [Provider of telecoms, smart city, and surveillance infrastructure](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/china) - [United States](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) [Source of cloud, AI, and venture capital, plus export-control pressure](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) 6 ### Gender, Identity, and Social Change Central Asian societies sit at the intersection of Soviet-era gender egalitarianism (universal female education, high labor force participation) and post-independence revivals of religious and traditionalist norms. Female literacy remains near universal across the region, yet labor force participation has declined since 1991, and gender gaps in pay, political representation, and unpaid care work are pronounced. Domestic violence remained outside criminal codes in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan until reforms in 2017 and 2023 respectively; Kazakhstan recriminalized domestic violence in 2024 following the high-profile Bishimbayev case. Harmful practices persist, including bride kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan (despite a 2013 law toughening penalties), early marriage, and pressure around 'honor.' LGBTQ+ rights are severely constrained: same-sex relations remain criminalized in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, and discriminatory legislation modeled on Russia's 'LGBT propaganda' law has been debated in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. Religious identity is being renegotiated, with state-managed Islam, growing female religiosity, debates over hijab in schools, and concerns about radicalization driving restrictive policy. Civil society activism—#NeMolchi in Kazakhstan, feminist marches on International Women's Day in Bishkek and Almaty often met with counter-protests and detentions—has pushed gender onto the policy agenda. Current debates focus on CEDAW implementation, the Istanbul Convention-inspired domestic violence frameworks, women in peace and security, and the protection of LGBTQ+ persons under UPR recommendations. Key players - [Kazakhstan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kazakhstan) [2024 domestic violence law and most visible feminist civil society](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kazakhstan) - [Kyrgyzstan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kyrgyzstan) [Active women's movement amid backlash and anti-NGO legislation](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kyrgyzstan) - [Uzbekistan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/uzbekistan) [Recent criminalization of domestic violence and gender strategy 2030](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/uzbekistan) - [Tajikistan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/tajikistan) [Restrictions on hijab, beards, and religious expression alongside gender reforms](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/tajikistan) - [Turkmenistan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/turkmenistan) [Highly restrictive environment for women's autonomy and LGBTQ+ rights](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/turkmenistan) 7 ### Political Economy and Development Central Asia's post-Soviet economies developed along sharply different lines. Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan became hydrocarbon rentier states; Uzbekistan combined state-led import substitution under Karimov with a large cotton sector; Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, lacking major hydrocarbons, became remittance- and aid-dependent. The 2000s commodity boom fueled growth but entrenched resource dependence, Dutch disease, and elite capture. The 2014-15 oil price collapse and ruble depreciation exposed vulnerabilities, prompting devaluations and IMF programs. Since 2017, Uzbekistan has undertaken the region's most ambitious reform program—currency liberalization, WTO accession process, banking privatization, and partial cotton sector liberalization that ended the international cotton boycott in 2022. Kazakhstan has pursued AIFC-based financial sector reforms while struggling with the political economy of the Nazarbayev-era elite. The region has also become a hub for sanctions-related re-exports to Russia since 2022, complicating relationships with Western partners and raising secondary sanctions risks. Critical minerals—uranium, rare earths, copper—have repositioned Central Asia in global supply chains, attracting EU, U.S., and Chinese strategic interest. Key debates concern economic diversification, SOE reform, regional economic integration (the revived Consultative Meetings of Central Asian Heads of State since 2018), debt sustainability—particularly bilateral debt to China—WTO accession for Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, and aligning industrial policy with green transition and SDG financing needs. Key players - [Kazakhstan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kazakhstan) [Largest regional economy, oil exporter and critical minerals supplier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kazakhstan) - [Uzbekistan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/uzbekistan) [Lead reformer pursuing market liberalization and WTO accession](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/uzbekistan) - [Turkmenistan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/turkmenistan) [Gas-dependent closed economy with limited diversification](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/turkmenistan) - [Tajikistan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/tajikistan) [Remittance-dependent low-income economy with high external debt](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/tajikistan) - [Kyrgyzstan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kyrgyzstan) [Open small economy reliant on remittances, gold, and re-export trade](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kyrgyzstan) - [China](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/china) [Top creditor, infrastructure financier, and trade partner via BRI](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/china) 8 ### International Relations and Geopolitics Central Asia's foreign policy has been defined by 'multi-vector' diplomacy, balancing Russia (security guarantor via the CSTO and EAEU, historical and linguistic ties), China (top trade partner and infrastructure financier via the Belt and Road Initiative launched in Astana in 2013), and a widening cast of partners including the EU, United States, Turkey, Iran, India, Japan, and the Gulf states. The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine has been a watershed: Central Asian states have not recognized the annexations of Ukrainian territories, abstained on key UNGA votes, and visibly distanced themselves from Moscow while navigating sanctions exposure and migrant vulnerability. The C5+1 format with the United States held its first leader-level summit in 2023, paralleled by EU-Central Asia summits, the China-Central Asia summit in Xi'an (2023), and the inaugural GCC-Central Asia summit (2023). Turkey has deepened ties through the Organization of Turkic States, and the Middle Corridor (Trans-Caspian International Transport Route) has emerged as a strategic alternative to Russia-transiting trade. Afghanistan under the Taliban remains a shared security concern, with the region pursuing pragmatic engagement on borders, water, and counterterrorism without formal recognition. Key debates include the durability of multi-vectorism under intensifying great-power competition, regional integration through the Central Asian Heads of State Consultative Meetings, secondary sanctions risk, Caspian Sea legal regime implementation, and the region's growing voice in UN forums on landlocked developing country (LLDC) priorities. Key players - [Russia](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/russia) [Traditional security partner via CSTO, economic ties strained by sanctions](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/russia) - [China](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/china) [Top trade partner, BRI investor, and host of the C+C5 summit format](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/china) - [United States](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) [C5+1 convener focused on sovereignty, connectivity, and critical minerals](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) - [Turkey](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/turkey) [Lead actor in the Organization of Turkic States and Middle Corridor](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/turkey) - [Kazakhstan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kazakhstan) [Largest state, balancer, and key Middle Corridor and energy hub](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kazakhstan) - [Uzbekistan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/uzbekistan) [Population center driving renewed regional integration since 2017](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/uzbekistan) ## Resources News, lessons, and country profiles to prep for Societal Transformations and Global Challenges in Central Asia. Recent reporting to ground your prep [West Bengal Voter Deletion Crisis 2026](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/west-bengal-voter-deletion-crisis-ahead-of-2026-assembly-elections) [India's 131st Amendment Bill](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/indias-131st-amendment-bill-womens-reservation-for-2029-elections) [West Bengal Voter Deletion Crisis](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/west-bengal-voter-deletion-crisis-27-million-affected-ahead-of-polls) [Delimitation Based on 2011 Census](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/delimitation-based-on-2011-census-indias-political-shift) Lessons Bite-sized lessons to build the basics [Dynamic Analysis](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/lessons/dynamic-analysis) [Gender Dynamics Across Cultures](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/lessons/gender-dynamics-across-cultures) [Hidden Stakeholders](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/lessons/hidden-stakeholders) [Engagement Strategies](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/lessons/engagement-strategies) Courses Guided courses that go deeper on the topic [Media & Press Relations](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/courses/media-press) [Advanced Negotiation](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/courses/advanced-negotiation) [Multilateral Negotiation](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/courses/multilateral-negotiation) [Policy Brief Writing](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/courses/policy-brief) The states in play, with the data that shapes their stance [Sweden](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/sweden) [Country dossier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/sweden) [Kazakhstan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kazakhstan) [Country dossier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kazakhstan) [Uzbekistan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/uzbekistan) [Country dossier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/uzbekistan) [Kyrgyzstan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kyrgyzstan) [Country dossier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/kyrgyzstan) [Tajikistan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/tajikistan) [Country dossier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/tajikistan) [Turkmenistan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/turkmenistan) [Country dossier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/turkmenistan) [Switzerland](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/switzerland) [Country dossier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/switzerland) [United States](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) [Country dossier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) [Russia](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/russia) [Country dossier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/russia) [South Korea](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/south-korea) [Country dossier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/south-korea) [Afghanistan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/afghanistan) [Country dossier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/afghanistan) [China](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/china) [Country dossier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/china) [Turkey](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/turkey) [Country dossier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/turkey) ## Frequently asked questions - - - Free account Save conferences, research any topic with AI, build position papers, and keep your daily prep streak — free. 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