Water Politics in Central Asian Countries: Political Aspects

The problem of politicization of water relations remains acute for the countries of Central Asia. Despite efforts, the growing deficit of water resources provokes increased attention to the problem by the countries of the region and extra-regional states. The water policy of the Central Asian countries began to form after the collapse of the USSR, when the geopolitical situation changed dramatically. The Central Asian states regarded independence as an opportunity to strengthen their positions in the region, primarily through the implementation of an independent and nationally oriented water policy. The foreign policy course in the field of hydropower was formed under the influence of domestic political processes that developed at the time of the collapse of the USSR. Despite the growing problems in the water sector, the countries of the region continued to pursue a course that ignored the interests of neighboring states and did not imply the development of multilateral cooperation in the water sector. Most of the issues related to the use of transboundary watercourses were under powerful pressure from political factors. Geopolitical rivalry between the Central Asian states had an effect. As a result of national policies that were only interested in increasing their power in the region and getting geo-economic benefits, promising projects for hydraulic structures were looked at. Only in recent years, due to internal political changes and the growing shortage of water resources, the Central Asian countries began to change their positions, advocating for the development of dialogue. Using the method of comparative and systemic analysis, the influence of political factors on the water sector of the Central Asian countries was revealed. The article concludes that despite the softening of the rhetoric by the Central Asian countries when discussing problems related to the use of transboundary watercourse resources and the expansion of bilateral and multilateral cooperation, political aspects will continue to influence the water policy of the Central Asian countries.