The USA Journals Volume 03 Issue 06-2021
127
The American Journal of Political Science Law and Criminology
(ISSN
–
2693-0803)
Published:
June 30, 2021 |
Pages:
127-131
Doi:
https://doi.org/10.37547/tajpslc/Volume03Issue06-19
I
MPACT
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ACTOR
2021:
5.
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‘
ABSTRACT
This article examines the role and place of British think tanks in the design and development of the
country’s foreign policy towards the Central Asian region. This issue is studied in combination with an
analysis of the history of the formation of British think tanks, the positions of these centers in
relation to Central Asia in the early 90s of the twentieth century after the collapse of the USSR and
the state of modern think tanks that study Central Asia and their influence on the decision-making
process in Great Britain.
KEYWORDS
UK, think tanks, foreign policy, decision making, foreign affairs bodies, academia.
INTRODUCTION
Political decision-making has always been and
remains a process of complex measures with
the involvement of the public and a wide
range of experts, scientists and politicians.
Today, in many developed countries, such
unique institutions of analytics as think tanks
are the most important link in not only the
study of a particular situation or phenomenon,
but also in the development of a foreign policy
course. The UK is one of the pioneers in
institutional strengthening the relationship
between external relations bodies and think
tanks.Despite the well-studiedness of British
think tanks from different political, socio-
economic and historical frameworks, the
question of how they influenced the
formation of the modern Central Asian vector
of British foreign policy remains one of the
least studied in science. At first glance, this
may seem to be the result of the lack of
Think Tanks In The Formation Of The Central Asian Vector Of
British Foreign Policy
Shakhnoza Akramjanovna Azimbayeva
Doctoral Student Of University Of World Economy And Diplomacy, Uzbekistan
Journal
Website:
http://theamericanjour
nals.com/index.php/taj
pslc
Copyright:
Original
content from this work
may be used under the
terms of the creative
commons
attributes
4.0 licence.
The USA Journals Volume 03 Issue 06-2021
128
The American Journal of Political Science Law and Criminology
(ISSN
–
2693-0803)
Published:
June 30, 2021 |
Pages:
127-131
Doi:
https://doi.org/10.37547/tajpslc/Volume03Issue06-19
I
MPACT
F
ACTOR
2021:
5.
952
interest of British expert circles in the region
or the low degree of importance of Central
Asia for the country’s entire foreign policy.
However, even if one simply takes into
account the UK’s global politics and the
geopolitical significance of Central Asia, the
assertion of the UK’s disinterest in Central
Asia becomes unlikely. This fact justifies the
relevance of studying the role of Great
Britain’s analytical centers in the development
of its foreign policy towards our region.
METHODS OF ANALYSIS
Methods of both theoretical and empirical
analysis were used while writing this article. In
particular, from theoretical methods, a
systematic approach was used to consider the
issue under study as a system; the method of
deduction according to the principle "from
the general to the particular" - in the study of
think tanks of Central Asian studies within the
framework of the general system of British
think tanks; also methods of classification
when the question under study is grouped
according to certain characteristics and
abstraction to study a specific property of the
issues of research. From empirical methods,
the method of comparative analysis was used
to compare two or more research objects.
THE RESULTS OF RESEARCH
Before going directly to the revise of modern
think tanks in the UK that study Central Asia
and to some extent influence decision-making,
we need to pay attention to the history of the
formation of the institution of a think tank in
the UK in order to find out the general
characteristics, methods of work and the
mechanism of interaction of these centers
with state structures of the country.
Thus, Great Britain, as a recent global
superpower and the largest empire in the
world, more than anyone else needed a
constant study of its colonies and the degree
of work of state structures in these vast lands.
This need in the 19th century influenced the
creation of the world’s first think tank, the
British Royal United Services Institutе, which
still exists and bears the name already as
Royal United Services Institute for Defence
and Security Studies (RUSI). Since 1831, the
institute began to study the state of public
service in the colonies and abroad, especially
on security and intelligence services, on the
basis of constant analytical and scientific
activities [1]. The peculiarity of this first think
tank from the academic scientific community,
which in Great Britain was very developed and
had great potential, but did not depend on the
State and were considered as an independent
system, was that the think tank depended on
the state and worked for it. However it was
also independent in making research and
elaborating results.
It should be noted that during the Great
Game, when there was a geopolitical rivalry
between the British and Russian empires for
dominance in South and Central Asia in the
19th - early 20th centuries, it was this center
that played an important role in the study of
Central Asia and solving personnel issues for
military and civil intelligence, and in making
research groups on the discovery of region. In
addition, this institute on an ongoing basis
studied the issues of the military expansion of
the Russian Empire and its expansion to the
south [8]. That means that the first analytical
centers of UK were already interconnected
with Central Asia.
The USA Journals Volume 03 Issue 06-2021
129
The American Journal of Political Science Law and Criminology
(ISSN
–
2693-0803)
Published:
June 30, 2021 |
Pages:
127-131
Doi:
https://doi.org/10.37547/tajpslc/Volume03Issue06-19
I
MPACT
F
ACTOR
2021:
5.
952
In 1884 a “Fabian Society” was founded there
which is a much more real prototype of
modern “think tanks” as they were a non-
profit independent organization [2]. “Think
tanks” in UK have gone through a fairly long
period of transformation and development,
during which the nature of their work
changed depending on the requests for
research and analytical activities in various
spheres of the life of the state and society [3,
р.107].
Gradually, think tanks have naturally become
involved more actively in the domestic politics
of Great Britain. For example, the Fabian
Society has become a think tank in the Labor
Party. “Policy Exchanges” and “Reforms”
became more conservative. There also
appeared
centers
studying
purely
international relations and foreign policy as
The Policy Studies Institute.
In the last quarter of the twentieth century,
the term a think tank in Britain was
synonymous with a specific “policy planning
and analytical research unit” that existed
within the central government. However, in
the 80s of 20 century this term acquired a
completely different meaning and became
applicable to the external (in relation to the
government),
ideological
and
market
organizations that made up the electorate of
Margaret Thatcher, who sought to shift public
policy towards “a different concept of political
economy and social policy” [4].
Nowadays, British think tanks, as well as
American ones, range from research institutes
to ideological groups; Moreover, ideological,
party groups in both countries began to
appear mainly after 1945. Despite the
difference in the style of work and priorities,
all British think tanks have broadly similar
goals and common ways of achieving them. It
should be noted that there are two main goals
to which all think tanks strive with varying
degrees of intensity [5]. The first is influencing
the opinion of the establishment; the second
is providing information for making current
decisions in the field of public policy [6].
Regarding the question of how UK think tanks
influenced the formation of the country’s
state strategic vision in relation to the newly
independent states of Central Asia, it should
be noted that they played three main key
roles:
Conducting academic research, creating
ideological structures and helping to form
a clearer understanding of key political
and economic issues in the national
interests of Great Britain in Central Asia.
Such research, along with purely academic
circles, was carried out by such think tanks
as the Caucasus and Central Asian Security
Studies (the center has been transformed
and today works within the framework of
the programs of the St. Andrews
Institute), Bow group, Center for Policy
Studies, Chatham House, Foreign policy
center, etc.
Conducting political consulting, analyzing
the political situation, developing effective
practical solutions in relation to Central
Asia. For example, the Central Asian
Institute for Strategic Studies was
organizing the interaction of Central Asian
experts and scholars with British experts
for a deeper understanding of Central Asia
and its problems, as well as needs so that
Great Britain could develop its most
optimal foreign policy for the region.
Activities in this direction were not based
The USA Journals Volume 03 Issue 06-2021
130
The American Journal of Political Science Law and Criminology
(ISSN
–
2693-0803)
Published:
June 30, 2021 |
Pages:
127-131
Doi:
https://doi.org/10.37547/tajpslc/Volume03Issue06-19
I
MPACT
F
ACTOR
2021:
5.
952
on long-term studies that took a long
time, but based on shorter and faster
analytical materials. Also, these think
tanks actively interacted with the media,
politicians, business, formed the agenda
for Central Asia, helped countries such as
Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan to promote
their image in the UK.
Development of the ideological basis for
Great Britain's policy in Central Asia. To
answer the question of what it should be -
aimed
at
investment,
economic
modernization, or should it focus on
human rights. Political reforms and
democracy. Think tanks such as Demos,
Politeia and Reforms have defined the
ideological framework - they have become
issues of administrative and political
reforms
and
assistance
in
the
democratization of Central Asia.
Since the 2000s, economic research think
tanks and hybrid think tanks have been active
in the region with many founders from
different countries, including Central Asia.
Most of these centers were located in
Kyrgyzstan. And since the late 2010s, British
legal and financial think tanks began to show
their interest in the region. If Kazakhstan
became their first destination, then after
political changes Uzbekistan also arouses their
interest. For example, since 2020, the Center
for Economic Research and Reforms (CEIR)
under the Administration of the President of
the Republic of Uzbekistan began to
cooperate with the PRISM analytical center in
London (UK), which specializes in financial
issues [7].
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, it can be noted that think tanks
are a stronghold of independent expertise and
diagnostics for the country with a minimum of
costs, saving state resources and personnel.
They balance the expenses of government
bureaucracy and make public policy based on
more
fundamental
and
well-researched
empirical knowledge. It is thanks to them that
foreign policy becomes more long-term,
institutional and less impacted by human
factor.
British foreign policy towards Central Asia,
despite the fact that it has historical roots
from the Great Game in the region in the 19
century, helped their country to re-discover
and interpret Central Asia and its new 5
countries after their independence. They
played not only the role of researchers, but
also consultants, image makers, ideologists,
and a target group to resolve the issue of
interaction between British and Central Asian
experts.
If we take into account that the UK itself is in
transformation after Brexit process, then
there is the likelihood of some rethinking of its
foreign policy towards our region in the
medium term, and British think tanks will need
a more diverse and detailed analysis of Central
Asia than the initial general and strategic one,
which defined the more anticipatory nature of
the United Kingdom's foreign policy in the
region.
REFERENCES
1.
Damian P O’Connor. Between Peace
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The USA Journals Volume 03 Issue 06-2021
131
The American Journal of Political Science Law and Criminology
(ISSN
–
2693-0803)
Published:
June 30, 2021 |
Pages:
127-131
Doi:
https://doi.org/10.37547/tajpslc/Volume03Issue06-19
I
MPACT
F
ACTOR
2021:
5.
952
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