World powers focus on resource-rich Central Asia

HALFORD MacKinder, a founding father of geopolitics, claimed more than a century ago that the country which controls Central Asia and neighbouring nations shall be the “empire of the world”.

Fast forward to 2025 and the enduring relevance of MacKinder’s words are seen in the growing great power economic rivalry in the region fuelled by its resource richness.

Today, Central Asia has major environmental challenges and a poor human rights record. Yet, China, Russia, Japan, the United States and Europe are some of the key powers devoting more focus to the region owing in large part to its abundance of critical minerals for clean energy technologies.