Between Co-operation and Insulation: Afghanistan’s Relations with the Central Asian Republics

with Dr. Christian Bleuer, Afghanistan Analysts Network

Christian Bleuer will give a presentation based on recent field research and his Afghanistan Analysts Network report “Between Co-operation and Insulation: Afghanistan’s Relations with the Central Asian Republics.” The main focus will be on the real and imagined trans-national security threats in this region that cross the Afghan border in both directions. He will analyse the past and present cross-border relations, including trade, refugees, insurgency, terrorism and cultural ties with an emphasis on how these phenomena affect stability in the region.

Dr. Christian Bleuer is a 2012 PhD graduate of the Australian National University. He has spent the last three years in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan researching security and governance with a focus on the connections between Afghanistan and the Central Asian states. Most recently he was worked for the OSCE Academy in Bishkek and the Eurasia Foundation of Central Asia in Dushanbe. Currently he works at the Afghanistan Analysts Network, based in Kabul. His full list of publications can be downloaded at ChristianBleuer.com.