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A special issue of the Azerbaijani journal "Caucasus. Strategic Perspectives" (No. 1, February 2024) published an article by Stanislav Pritchin, Head of the Sector Central Asia of the Center for post-Soviet Studies of IMEMO, Cand. of Science (History), – "Middle powers" in the post-Soviet space in the context of the necessity for regionalization of international relations.

In the context of the global transformation of international relations, regional powers, which can be considered as middle power, are gaining increasing influence and importance. In the post-Soviet space, and in particular in Central Asia and the South Caucasus, several countries can be classified in this category. Among them are Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan. A comparative analysis of these three players shows that Kazakhstan has the largest natural reserves and the largest territory, while Uzbekistan’s strengths are its industrial potential and population size. Compared with its neighbors, Azerbaijan, with its smaller geographical size and scale of the economy, has managed to solve a number of important tasks as an independent player, in particular, to implement a number of large infrastructure projects that will realize the country’s energy and transit potential, restore its territorial integrity after losing part of its territories in 1994. 

Keywords: Middle powers, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Central Asia, South Caucasus