LANGUAGE DIPLOMACY IN HIGHER LEARNING EDUCATION AS A DEVELOPING TREND IN RUSSO-UZBEK CULTURAL DIPLOMACY (2020S)

Why is Russian higher education expanding in Uzbekistan even though the country is pushing for nationalization? The answer that this study discovered is that there exists a dual-track system at play. Through combining Critical Discourse Analysis and Process Tracing, the paper shows that Russian branch campuses actually act as buffer to shield technical and professional cooperation from the volatility of political narratives. Thus, it becomes possible for Russia and Uzbekistan to maintain professional cooperation that is stable.