The Soft Power of Negativity: How the U.S. Sways Society in Central Asian Countries

In recent years, the U.S. has increasingly focused on strengthening its position in Central Asia, where Washington's traditional rivals, Russia and China, are strong. The U.S. is strengthening its influence in the region through so-called soft power - by spreading its ideas about how society should be organized. The main tools are non-governmental organizations of various kinds, cultural and educational projects, and the media. For example, in Uzbekistan, many goals are achieved through the broadcasting of Radio Liberty (recognized by the Russian Ministry of Justice as an undesirable organization and foreign agent), which belongs to an American structure. Izvestia reports on how the United States is trying to manipulate sentiments in the Central Asian republics through such projects.

The power of influence

For the first 25 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States did not set big goals for itself in Central Asia and did not consider it a priority region. Washington sought to stop the spread of nuclear weapons and, as the British Carnegie Center wrote in its 2015 report, "to break Russia's monopoly on pipeline systems and transit routes for Central Asian oil and gas." The authors of the report conclude that these goals were well achieved in 2015 and suggest revising them, given the strong influence of Moscow and Beijing in the region. The new goals include strengthening cooperation with governments, fighting for respect for human rights, which are allegedly systematically violated, and spreading democratic values without insisting on reforms.

All of which Washington is accustomed to achieving with soft power tools. During a scholarly discussion in 2023, Rustam Burnashev, professor at the Kazakh-German University, and Bakhtiyor Ergashev, director of the Ma'no Center for Research Initiatives, agreed that the basis of "soft power" is that it provides simple ready-made narratives, dividing the world into black and white. There are democracies and autocracies, there is freedom and unfreedom, there is corruption and freedom from corruption, there is a developed, modern capitalist free market and "outdated" monopolies. That is, they appeal to basic demands for social justice by comparing all societies to the American one. This makes it easy to win the sympathy of the population, and subsequently to manipulate it.

One of the means of disseminating such narratives is the media. A prominent role in this case is played by such mass media as Voice of America and Radio Liberty, subsidiaries of the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM). They have taken on the role of "fighters for justice" in Central Asia. The example of Radio Liberty's activities in Uzbekistan is particularly illustrative in this regard.

An analysis of its activities over the past five years shows that the media, despite the journalist's duty to cover events objectively, highlights all processes taking place in the country in a one-sided way, through a negative prism. All publications about the activities of state institutions are criticism, purposefully undermining trust in the authorities.

Thus, Radio Liberty regularly publishes materials on socio-economic problems, vividly covering and emphasizing emerging conflicts, such as the protests in Karakalpakstan in 2022. Such topics, as well as corruption and human rights issues, are presented in black and white, providing a pure example of a US soft power tool. At the same time, the measures taken by the authorities to resolve interregional conflicts are not covered at all or are also presented only in a critical manner.

- On the eve of the events in Karakalpakstan in the summer of 2022, Western websites began to write about the protests that had not yet begun. After the mass actions began, these Internet resources were at the forefront of the information support of the events," local Vesti quoted Bakhtiyor Alimdzhanov, a senior researcher at the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, as saying.

The use of such tools helps to divide the population, arouse suspicion and develop distrust of the government, which is what this media outlet is trying to accomplish. In addition, it is easy to see that a deliberate focus on negative aspects distracts attention from Uzbekistan's real achievements, such as modernization of the economy, development of the tourism industry and improvement of infrastructure, including the opening of the Tashkent metro at a new level.

Even key government decisions aimed at improving the lives of Uzbekistan's population are covered by Radio Liberty in its own manner. For example, in 2022, accusations were made that the government's sweeping reforms were only for the benefit of a narrow group of elites, contributing to distrust among the population. The same Carnegie Center supported the narrative in 2023, saying that President Shavkat Mirziyoyev was only trying to "fit the image" of an enlightened and just leader.

Sowing confusion and discord

The Radio Liberty editorial board pays special attention to topics related to the personal life of the president and his entourage. Thus, in its materials the media has repeatedly spread rumors and gossip about relations within the family of the president of Uzbekistan, as well as about alleged conflicts between him and his political entourage. In addition, in 2023-2024, increased attention was paid to the career of the president's eldest daughter Saida Mirziyeva, who holds key positions in the government.

This media activity to undermine trust in the government fuels not only protest sentiments, but also intensifies the inter-clan struggle that is a traditional element of the political establishment in the Central Asian republics. All this benefits the political opponents of the president, who is inconvenient for the U.S. authorities.

A separate direction of Radio Liberty's editorial staff is devoted to cultural and religious aspects. For example, in 2019, the media published a series of materials about the alleged pressure on religious minorities, which caused heated discussions on social networks. This, as experts admit, is another proven tool of "soft power" to destabilize the situation in the country, creating the ground for protest sentiments.

This media outlet actively uses materials of major international human rights organizations, such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, when preparing the publication. They themselves are known for their pro-American attitude and have been repeatedly criticized by different countries for their bias; they are often accused of double standards and insufficient fact-checking when preparing their reports.

Big jobs for little money

In 2023 alone, the U.S. spent $6 million on "democracy development" in Central Asia, with grants to nongovernmental organizations ranging from $10,000 to $50,000. The U.S. also invests heavily in supporting opinion leaders - bloggers and journalists who support and disseminate Radio Liberty narratives. The states do not hide their goals. Katherine Putz, editor-in-chief of The Diplomat, wrote in early 2023 that the United States intends to "remove the Central Asian states from the influence of Russia and China. And in September 2022, Anjali Kaur, deputy assistant director of USAID, voiced a similar position: "to eventually decouple the economies of Russia and Central Asia. To achieve this, Washington believes it is necessary to create hot spots near Russia's borders in Asia, provoke destabilization of society by strengthening existing contradictions or creating new ones.

According to experts, the issue of "soft power" and the presence of foreign donors in any country is moving out of the realm of mere humanitarian interaction into the realm of actual security. The example of Radio Liberty, whose activities, ostensibly aimed at "seeking justice and truth," are in fact destructive, shows how the U.S. "soft power" operates. However, it can be countered by using a comprehensive approach to strengthening information security, transparency and promotion of the country's achievements, thus significantly reducing the influence of foreign media and other NGOs.