Europe is Losing the Contemporary Great Game

The competition for influence over Central Asia has entered a new phase. Unlike the nineteenth-century Great Game, today's rivalry is driven less by military confrontation than by infrastructure development, trade and energy corridors, critical raw materials, and strategic investments. While China has expanded its economic footprint through the Belt and Road Initiative, Russia seeks to preserve its regional influence, and middle powers such as Türkiye and the Gulf states have significantly increased their engagement, the European Union has often struggled to translate political ambitions into strategic presence. Although the EU has paid increased attention to the region over the past few years and announced tens of billions of euros in support and investment, the results are far from being achieved. Europe promises, others deliver.

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