Former US ambassador Daniel Rosenblum has warned that Washington has «surrendered» the information war in Central Asia, leaving the field to Russia and China.
Speaking at Yale University, Rosenblum, ambassador to Uzbekistan from 2019 to 2022 and to Kazakhstan until 2025, described relentless Russian disinformation, including claims he opened a NATO base in Kazakhstan. In reality, he had inaugurated a peacekeeping institute conference centre.
Rosenblum said US embassies once countered such narratives with visible aid projects, but many programmes and media outlets have since been dismantled.
«Eight months into the second Trump administration, it seems clear that the information war is over in Central Asia — not because the Russians won. We have simply surrendered,» he said.
He also noted China’s growing role through the Belt and Road Initiative and warned that America risks long-term decline if it disengages. «If we cut ourselves off, we will ultimately be less secure and less prosperous,» he added.
Kursiv also reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree appointing Alexey Yerkhov as ambassador to Uzbekistan.
