Pan-Kazakh Centrism and the Construction of a Regional Axis in the ‘Innovated’ Asia

The interest of Kazakhstan for Central Asia is the interest of a ‘constructor’. Since 1991, it has been at the direct or indirect origin of several key initiatives: CICA, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and even a project of a Union of Central Asia. Theories of regional integrations have been enriching Asia for 20 years, and for 60 years in Europe. The key concept is that of a regional axis: a region is multilateral but needs to build itself around a privileged bilateralism among two neighbors-partners. The definition of such an “axis” is: two countries that have born among themselves the seeds of tension but that decide, voluntarily, to turn the page of history, through a strong and enduring bilateral relationship, sometimes through a founding Treaty, investing in the irreversible, political link with the aim of ‘radiating’ throughout the region.