카자흐스탄의 전방위외교와 다자주의 - 중앙아시아 국제환경, 국가 속성, 국가 정체성 요인을 중심으로 -

Abstract

Kazakhstan’s foreign policy, which can be characterized by multivector pragmatic diplomacy and multilateralism, has been influenced by the structural characteristics of international relations in Central Asia, namely, external factors, national attributes (scale and utilization capacity of resources), and national identity (geopolitics, geographic location, historical experience, ethnic composition, etc.) The multi-polar Central Asian environment after the collapse of the Soviet Union is a structural attribute of Central Asian international relations, and can be seen as an external factor that enabled multi-vector diplomacy, diplomatic diversification, and multilateralism of Kazakhstan, an individual country under the international structure. The internal factors, “national attributes,” and “national identity,” symbolized by Kazakhstan’s Eurasianism, are also factors that can explain the main characteristics of Kazakhstan’s foreign policy stance and goal setting. Kazakhstan, which had a low ability to act in the early stages of independence in terms of national attributes, focused its limited resources and utilization capacity on the main issues of security and diversification of economic partership. The national identity represented by Kazakhstan Eurasianism recognizes the linkages established in the past Soviet Union era, maintains relations with Russia, and promotes cooperation with countries of various orientations by advocating open, inclusive, and mediating role described by Eurasianism. Kazakhstan is not the only country that has adopted multi-vector diplomacy in the Central Asia. However, as a result of the factors analyzed in this study, Kazakhstan can be evaluated as one of the most prominent Central Asian countries in practicing multivectorism and multilateralism.3