Uzbekistan political independence in international relations – prospects for the future

This thesis looks at how Uzbekistan has tried to stay politically independent since it became independent in 1991, despite the complicated geopolitical situation in Central Asia. It looks at how Tashkent manages its relationships with major powers like Russia, China, the United States, and the European Union through a planned policy of multivector diplomacy using qualitative case analysis and historical review. This method puts a lot of value on being able to change plans quickly. It doesn't rely too much on any one actor and only works with international groups like the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the United Nations to protect sovereignty and visibility.

The study finds that Uzbekistan's independence rests on three main pillars: (1) external balancing through carefully planned interactions with rival powers; (2) institutional selectivity, which means participating in multilateral frameworks only when autonomy is maintained; and (3) internal resilience, which comes from economic modernization, governance reforms, and promoting cultural identity. The results show that domestic factors like President Mirziyoyev's efforts to liberalize the market, fight corruption, and invest in human capital directly affect the credibility of foreign policy and the chances for diversification.

There are still a lot of challenges, even though things are getting better. These include unequal economic dependencies (like remittances from Russia and debt related to the BRI), pressure to align strategies in the face of great-power rivalry, and gaps in institutional reform. The study says that Uzbekistan's future independence depends on speeding up its entry into the WTO, making legal red lines against agreements that don't hold up, and forming regional coalitions based on issues. This complicated balancing act can help post-Soviet states that want to stay independent in a world with many powers.