September 18, 2026
Twenty-five Years After 9/11: How war on terror reshaped Central Asia
Twenty-five years after 9/11, Central Asia is again a focal point of global power dynamics. Moving past the US military presence during the Afghan war, the region’s vast critical mineral reserves, trade routes such as the Middle Corridor, and strategic position bordering China, Russia and the Middle East have reignited major competition. As Russian influence wanes and China, Turkey, Azerbaijan and the West expand their reach, a new ‘Great Game’ may be underway.
In an exclusive interview with Moneycontrol, Joseph Epstein—Director of the Washington-based Turan Research Center, Senior Fellow at the Yorktown Institute, and Fellow at Bar-Ilan University’s Begin-Sadat Center—breaks down the impact of 9/11 on Central Asia and decodes the region’s new geopolitical landscape.
Read the full interview on Money Control.
Joseph Epstein is Director of the Turan Research Center.