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The Central Asia Program (CAP) at George Washington University aims to promote high-quality academic research on contemporary Central Asia, and to become an interface for the policy, academic, diplomatic, and business communities by providing a forum for discussion.

Central Asia Program focuses on the wider Central Asian space, which includes the five post-Soviet Central Asian states (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan), Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Xinjiang, Mongolia, as well as the Volga-Ural region, Kashmir, and Balochistan.

The Program calls for a multidisciplinary approach combining the fields of political science, sociology, anthropology, economics, history, globalization studies, and security studies. It provides a platform for different, and even sometimes contradictory, points of view on contemporary Central Asia.

Research on Central Asia tends to be carried out all too often by geographically compartmentalized groups. Central Asia Program strives to bring together counterparts from the United States, Europe, Russia, Asia, and Central Asia by promoting various forms of interaction and initiating joint projects.

The Central Asia Program’s “Knowledge Hub” provides a virtual library that collects reports, articles, and research and policy papers related to Central Asia available online. The Program also contributes to mapping academic and policy institutions worldwide working on Central Asia.

Recognizing the increasing importance of Central Asia in the 21st Century, Central Asia Program is a dynamic initiative that seeks to be at the forefront of the debate on the region.

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