Why do Central Asian states fail to achieve regional integration?

In the international relations literature, regional studies have started to emerge in order to take a closer look at regional policies, especially after the independence of many countries after the Second World War. One of the most important topics of analysis in these studies has been regional organizations. These organizations, which have the capacity to provide many useful outputs such as security, politics and socio-economics within the region, play an important role in ensuring peace and stability. Regional organization initiatives have been undertaken by the Central Asian states that declared their independence with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The post-Soviet era in Central Asia witnessed a surge in regional integration initiatives, yet these endeavors have consistently fallen short of their intended goals. This thesis investigates the underlying reasons for this phenomenon, arguing that the legacy of Russian colonialism, dating back to the Tsarist era, remains a significant obstacle to regional cooperation. While existing literature often attributes this lack of integration to factors such as economic complementarity, regime types, nation-building, external interference, and competition for regional leadership, this thesis introduces a new perspective on the impact of colonialism by taking into account the important historical fact of nearly 150 years of Tsarist and Soviet colonial policy. This thesis will answer the reason for the failure of the regional organizations in Central Asia as colonialism. The historical trajectory of the region, shaped by Russian domination, has created deep-rooted challenges that impede regional integration. The lasting legacies of the colonial era have manifested themselves in several key areas. In this thesis, the consequences of this legacy will be explained through the inherited security problems, the remaking of the economic structure, the legacy of authoritarian regimes, the problems of nation-building and identity, and finally the state crises.