Regional security – defense integration of the Central Asian countries

Abstract

The aim of the article is to analyse the phenomenon of security integration of Central Asian states within regional international organisations created around Russia and China. It enabled the authoritarian leaders to lower the cost of maintaining the non-democratic systems. The tactical strategies invented in one country, institutional and legal solutions and mythological constructs were also used by other participants. Moreover, they provided international infrastructure that not only gave external legitimacy to authoritarian regimes, but also served to weaken civil society and eliminate all forms of political competition. The article attempts to answer the questions of how threats were defined within regional integration structures and how international infrastructure was built to combat regional threats such as extremism, terrorism and separatism. Furthermore, preventive strategies at the institutional and legal levels are considered. Finally, the article analyses selected aspects of the so-called cultural prevention, which was intended to combat security threats and ensure regional stability.