U.S.-uzbekistan Relations From The Perspective Of Neoclassical Realism(2017-2019)

At the end of 2016 and early 2017,the Uzbekistan in Central Asia and the United States on the other side of the ocean went through presidential elections,respectively.Mirziyoyev and Trump became leaders of their respective countries.Due to the change of leadership and new changes in the regional international system,since 2017,U.S.-Uzbekistan relations have shown some new changes and development trends.These changes are reflected in political,military and economic bilateral relations and Many areas.Overall,since 2017,U.S.-Uzbekistan relations have shown a positive development trend,and bilateral relations have improved significantly.The reasons for these changes can be understood by borrowing the three core concepts of neoclassical realism: "power,security,and interests" and their analytical framework.Specifically,in the political field,the United States in the Trump era,due to its strategic need to maintain political influence in Central Asia and curb Russia and China,hopes to actively improve political relations with Central Asian countries.Uzbekistan’s long-term pursuit of regional powers and the new government’s willingness to increase its influence in regional and international affairs require support from the outside world,especially the United States.The pursuit of power has provided the most important impetus for the development of U.S.-Uzbekistan political relations since 2017,and political mutual trust between U.S.and Uzbekistan has been significantly strengthened in the new period.Based on this,military cooperation and socio-economic cooperation between the Uzbekistan and the U.S.have also witnessed relatively obvious development.In the military field,due to the changes in the security environment of Central Asia and the changes in U.S.Afghanistan policies,combating and preventing terrorism,maintaining national security,and the overall stability of Central Asia have become the common interests of Uzbekistan and the US.Which has Developed military security cooperation in the new period.In the economic and social sphere,U.S.-Uzbekistan relations have also developed.The biggest driving force for development in this area comes from the reforms that were promoted in the country after Mirziyoev took office.The advancement of Uzbekistan’s domestic reforms provides opportunities for U.S.capital and technology to enter Uzbekistan,and these capitals and technologies are exactly what Uzbekistan’s reforms need to proceed smoothly.At the same time,the reform is also in line with the US policy goal of establishing a free market in Central Asia.Therefore,the United States is happy to see the progress of Uzbekistan’s reform,and Uzbekistan also welcomes the entry of US capital and technology.As a result,U.S.-Uzbekistan economic relations have also been promoted.However,the recent good momentum of U.S.-Uzbekistan relations does not mean that the obstacles to the development of U.S.-Uzbekistan relations have completely disappeared.On the contrary,some negative factors that have long affected the development of US-Uzbekistan relations still exist.This is first manifested by the fact that the U.S.and the U.S.enjoy different historical and cultural foundations and lack common cultural ties.Bilateral relations are entirely based on visible interests,and interests are changeable.Therefore,bilateral relations lack a deep culture Basically,there is instability.Secondly,Uzbekistan is not a "democratic country" under the US value system standards,and "democracy" is one of the long-term goals pursued by the United States in Central Asia and the world.Temporarily put on hold,but in the long run,there is still the possibility of divergence into U.S.-Uzbekistan relations.Thirdly,due to many reasons,there are uncertainties in U.S.and Uzbekistan domestic and foreign policies,which is also one of the risks facing U.S.-Uzbekistan relations.Based on the analysis above,this article believes that the development of U.S.-Uzbekistan relations in 2017 is caused by factors such as changes in the regional international system environment and their respective national strategic needs.Therefore,U.S.-Uzbekistan relations will continue to develop smoothly in the short term However,because of issues such as "democratization" and lack of cultural ties,U.S.-Uzbekistan relations will not easily evolve into ally relations.For China,there is still a lot of diplomatic space in Central Asia,including Uzbekistan.