EDUCATION AND SCIENCE AS PART OF THE US SOFT POWER POLICY IN CENTRAL ASIA

Abstract

The article considers the current aspects of ensuring the political influence of the United States through the instruments of "soft power", such as education and science, in Central Asia. The purpose of the study is to analyze the development of the US application of the "soft power" policy in the countries of Central Asia in the development of initiatives in the field of science and education. The work considers the general definition and instruments of "soft power" in politics, the features of the struggle for geopolitical influence of the main actors of international politics in the Central Asian region, as well as the specifics of the use of "soft power" instruments related to science and education, the United States in relation to the countries of Central Asia. It is concluded that since the independence of the Central Asian countries to the present, the United States has created a system of flagship universities and is developing a branch network of American universities, the number of students from Central Asian countries studying in the United States is increasing, scholarship support for students and grant support for scientific research are developing. However, at present, the US "soft power" policy is entering into confrontation with the "soft power" of a number of other countries in Central Asia.