Скачать или смотреть Central Asia: At the Crossroads of Power and History

Christian and Theo sat down with Terhi Hakala, the EU’s former Special Representative for Central Asia and a senior European diplomat with decades of experience on Russia, Eastern Europe, and the wider Eurasian region. Having also served as the EU Ambassador to Russia and in key roles at the UN and OSCE, Hakala offers a rare insider perspective on geopolitics at Europe’s eastern frontier.
In this conversation, they explore why Central Asia matters, whether the region can be treated as a single bloc, and how global players — from Russia, the EU, the US, and China — compete for influence. They discuss Russia’s evolving role, Europe’s vision for the region, energy security and gas supply diversification, border protection, and intelligence dynamics. The episode also dives into EU–Central Asia relations, lessons from Europe’s past dependence on Russia, regional conflicts such as Armenia–Azerbaijan, internal relations among Central Asian states, domestic politics and leadership, the role of religion, youth and education, economic realities, China’s growing footprint through initiatives like Global Gateway, and what Europe should do next.

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Timestamps

00:01:05 Introduction
00:01:40 Why is Central Asia important?
00:04:30 Is Central Asia just one bloc?
00:08:10 Players dealing with Central Asia
00:13:05 Russia’s role in the region
00:16:40 Europe’s vision and influence
00:22:00 The replacement of Russia in gas supply
00:25:00 Protection of borders in the region
00:30:05 Being a Special Representative for Central Asia
00:33:30 Was it a mistake for the EU to rely on Russia?
00:36:30 Pillars of the EU–Central Asia partnership
00:42:00 Armenia and Azerbaijan conflict
00:46:30 Was there a shift in the U.S. approach to Central Asia?
00:49:20 Relationships among Central Asia’s countries
00:59:00 How does intelligence work?
01:00:00 Leaders and politics
01:05:00 Young population and the future of Democracy
01:10:00 The role of religion
01:14:25 The economic situation
01:19:40 Is there a major Central Asian financial capital?
01:25:00 China’s influence and the Global Gateway
01:29:25 How should Europe move forward?