Nestled between some of the biggest players on the geopolitical stage is a vast region filled with high mountains, unnavigable rivers, wide open steppes and one of the world’s worst man-made ecological disasters.

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Central Asia has a rich history as a centre for culture, trade and innovation but, after more than a hundred years of Russian and Soviet influence, the five countries that now make up the region are finding their feet again in the international landscape.

Could China’s Belt and Road Initiative revive the old Silk Road and put Central Asia at the crossroads of the world once more?

00:00 Introduction
00:37 The Silk Road in Central Asia
03:43 The Russian Empire and Soviets get involved in Central Asia
07:36 The birth of independent Central Asia
09:49 Between the bear and the dragon: Russia and China in modern Central Asia
12:06 China’s Belt and Road Initiative

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