ФЕНОМЕН «СРЕДНИХ ДЕРЖАВ» В УСЛОВИЯХ КРИЗИСА ГЛОБАЛЬНОГО ПОРЯДКА: СТРАТЕГИЧЕСКАЯ СУБЪЕКТНОСТЬ ГОСУДАРСТВ ЦЕНТРАЛЬНОЙ АЗИИ

The article examines the phenomenon of "middle powers" in the context of the ongoing crisis of the liberal international order. The fragmentation of global governance — manifested through the erosion of WTO and UN norms, the war in Ukraine, the Iran crisis, and the US–China trade confrontation — creates a structural "window of agency" for non-Western actors. Central Asia is analyzed as an emerging collective subject of international relations that is overcoming its historical status as a passive "buffer zone." The study identifies four key dimensions of the region's strategic agency: the institutionalization of the C5 format as a platform for collective bargaining; the explosive growth of the Trans-Caspian Middle Corridor (cargo volume up fivefold to 4.5 million tons); the repositioning as an energy and critical minerals hub following sanctions on Russia and instability around the Strait of Hormuz; and the active multilateral diplomacy of the "C5+" format with the US, EU, China, Turkey, and Japan. The article concludes that Central Asia is emerging as one of the "poles of stability" in a multipolar world, demonstrating a model of strategic autonomy based on integrative pragmatism and network balancing.