FROM CONCEPT TO COMMUNITY:INSTITUTIONAL MODEL OF THE CENTRAL ASIAN COMMUNITY AND THE ROAD FROM "CENTRAL ASIA-2040" TO PRACTICAL ARCHITECTURE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20057653Keywords:
Central Asian Community; Central Asia–2040; regional integration; institutionalization; C5 format; sovereignty-preserving integration; constructivism; consultative meetings; water-energy nexus; Uzbekistan foreign policy.Abstract
This article examines the conceptual foundations and institutional model of the Central Asian Community, analyzing the trajectory from the 2018 launch of the Consultative Meetings of Heads of State to the landmark adoption of the "Central Asia–2040" Concept at the Sixth Consultative Meeting in Astana in August 2024. Drawing on constructivist and liberal intergovernmentalism theoretical frameworks, the article argues that Central Asia is undergoing a distinctive form of sovereignty-preserving integration — a process driven by shared pragmatic interests, historical civilizational ties, and an emerging collective regional identity rather than supranational institutional transfers. The article identifies three critical institutional gaps — the absence of a permanent secretariat, the lack of a unified dispute-resolution mechanism, and the underdeveloped role of civil society and parliamentary actors — and proposes a practical institutional architecture designed to bridge the gap between strategic vision and operational reality.
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