Article: AP News
President Donald Trump announced that he is extending invitations to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to attend next year’s G20 summit, which the United States will host in Miami, Florida. Although neither Central Asian country is a formal member of the G20, it is common practice for host nations to invite non-members to participate as guests. Trump revealed the invitations following separate phone calls with Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev as part of efforts to strengthen diplomatic ties with the strategically important region. Trump described U.S. relations with both countries as “spectacular” and emphasized a desire to enhance cooperation.
The G20’s purpose is to facilitate global economic cooperation. For the U.S to use limited guest slots for the leaders of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan after already meeting with them a month ago signals a significant financial interest in Central Asian nations. With the push for greater domestic production in the U.S., it needs rare-earth minerals. Central Asia has a substantial supply of rare earth minerals, particularly uranium. Historically, the critical mineral exports have leaned towards China and Russia. By engaging countries such as Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, the U.S. seeks to contest Russian and Chinese dominance in an economically strategic and vulnerable region without resorting to military escalation, signaling its presence and influence at a relatively low cost.
Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan could leverage U.S interest by seeking greater investment from countries like China and Russia. The world runs on supply and demand. Upon seeing a possible supply shortage with substantial U.S. interest, China and Russia will increase their presence in Central Asia. To advance U.S. interests, the U.S. will continue to build relationships with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan before committing to a deal. The deal will likely include U.S-provided infrastructure because mining rare earth minerals is expensive. Upon reviewing Foreign direct investment (FDI) data, despite a recent uptick in the importance of critical minerals, the U.S. isn’t entering a crowded market but a comparatively underpenetrated one.
In IR, we learned about types of power. Investment in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, along with the G20 prestige, is significant soft power. The balance-of-power struggle between Russia, China, and the U.S. is driving counterbalancing pressure in Central Asia. We also learned that states act on their own national interest within the bounds of the IR system. The U.S. is using soft power to advance its national interests through its foreign policy, which is directed toward acquiring critical earth minerals in mineral-rich countries.