Central Asia constituting southern part of the heartland territory in Mackinder’s theory became a scene for a multi-layered rivalry for world powers following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The United States seeks interim and permanent changes and has encouraged the European Union to follow in its foot steps. Russia and China have security concerns apart from geopolitical objectives. This paper addresses spatial shrinking and expansion of rival powers’ geopolitical influence in Central Asia and assesses the geo-strategic role of this region in creating rivalry and dynamism. This paper addresses spatial shrinking and expansion of rival powers’ geopolitical influence in Central Asia and assesses the geo-strategic role of this region in creating rivalry and dynamism.
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