C5+1 Platform: Creating New Worlds in a Deglobalizing World

Purpose: The aim of this study is to evaluate the C5+1 platform, which seeks to create a new regional framework within an international system moving away from globalization, from the perspective of deglobalization. Design/Methodology: The study is based on the policy outcomes and partnership statements of the C5+1 platform. Findings: The international system, which is widely considered to have become increasingly globalized following the Second World War, is currently being challenged by a growing trend toward deglobalization. Since the beginning of the 21st century, international economic crises, wars, and pandemics have evolved into major problem areas whose consequences are experienced by countries worldwide. This situation has eroded confidence in globalization and increased states’ tendency to move away from global integration. In an increasingly deglobalized world, states have focused on creating more localized and regional spheres of cooperation, thereby seeking both to distance themselves from global challenges and to promote regional development. Established between the United States and the Central Asian countries during a period of accelerating deglobalization, C5+1 has emerged as a platform for partnership and cooperation. In a world where confidence in globalization has eroded and deglobalization has gained momentum, C5+1 provides a new framework for cooperation between the United States and Central Asia. The platform also contributes to reshaping U.S. perceptions and policies toward Central Asia, a region to which the United States had previously devoted relatively limited attention. The shared tendency of the United States and Central Asian countries to move away from globalization and develop new regional spheres of cooperation highlights the emerging dynamics of a deglobalizing international system. Limitations: The study focuses on the reasons and necessities underlying the engagement of the United States and Central Asian countries through the C5+1 platform within a deglobalizing international system. Originality/Value: The study concludes that C5+1 can be understood as a consequence of the international system’s shift away from globalization and that it creates a new regional framework for cooperation between the United States and Central Asia.