Domestic Politics – Central Asia Program

Online Event Tuesday, April 30, 2024 from 10:00-11:00 am EDT In November 2024, the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, marking the third year in…

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A Slow Reckoning: The USSR, the Afghan Communists, and Islam

4 April, 2024

Online Event Tuesday, April 9, 2024 from 10:00-11:00am EDT Vassily Klimentov will be discussing his book, A Slow Reckoning: The USSR, the Afghan Communists, and Islam, published by Northern Illinois University Press…

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Annual Security Workshop: Navigating Global Turbulence: Building Resilience in Central Asia

21 March, 2024

In-Person Event Thursday, March 28, 2024 from 8:45 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (EDT) Central Asia is at a pivotal point, facing significant geopolitical, economic, and environmental challenges that could have…

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Exploring the Dynamics of Open Government in Kazakhstan: A Critical Assessment of Tokayev’s “Listening State” Reform

4 March, 2024

Image from Kazakhstan’s Presidential Press Service Online Event In March 2019, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev assumed the presidency through a meticulously orchestrated succession, pledging to advance political liberalization and foster greater responsiveness…

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The 80th Anniversary of the Chechen and Ingush Deportation: What is its legacy today?

23 February, 2024

Virtual EventTuesday, February 27, 2024 from 10:00-11:00am Join us for a discussion organized by the Central Asia Program at The George Washington University to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the…

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Central Asia’s Aral Sea: Lessons for Today’s Climate Crisis

4 December, 2023

Hybrid Event, Image by NASA Earth Observatory December 11, 9:00 am – 10:30 am (EST) Once one of the world’s largest inland bodies of water, the Aral Sea began to shrink…

Fully equipped police above a row of peaceful protesters holding a banner: We are ordinary citizens, not terrorists

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Kazakhstan’s Bloody January: Protest Motivations, Public Perceptions and Human Rights

29 November, 2023

Online discussion co-organized by the PaperLab Research Center (Astana, Kazakhstan). Image provided by PaperLab.kz. Thursday, December 7, 2023, 9:00 am – 10:30 am EST In the first days of 2022,…

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Nuclear and Biological Nonproliferation: Lessons from Kazakhstan and Central Asia

22 August, 2023

Online event September 5, 2023, 9:00 am – 10:30 am EDT Stronger than Death memorial, Semei, Kazakhstan. Image Source: astanatimes.com In a world increasingly defined by bellicose rhetoric, nuclear nonproliferation…

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The world, the US, and China–what examples can speed up the application of AI in STEM disciplines in Kazakhstan?

25 July, 2023

By Bakhadir Rismetov, PhD., Visiting Scholar, The George Washington University Abstract This article explores the benefits and challenges of integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into STEM education in Kazakhstani secondary schools based…

A real size replica of an ancient fort wall illuminated at night and reflected in the artificial pond.

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Turkestan since 2018: A Case of “Eternalstan” or an Economic Endeavor?

29 June, 2023

Author: Adilet Beisenov Adilet Beisenov is an MA candidate in the Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies program at Georgetown University. He earned his undergraduate degree at Nazarbayev University in…

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Central Asia Annual Security Workshop 2023: Central Asia in a Transformed Geopolitical Environment

8 May, 2023

March 23, 2023 This full-day hybrid event addresses a range of issues, including the perceptions and impact of the war in Ukraine on Central Asia, the impact of the return…

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A Year in American School: A View of an Alien, Parent, and Educator

29 April, 2023

Bolashak Reflections: A Series of Essays by Bolashak Fellows on What They Have Learned from Their Studies Author: Aigul Sarenova Aigul Sarenova serves as the Dean of General Education at…

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Internationalization of the Educational Activities of the University

25 April, 2023

Internationalization of the Educational Activities of the University A. T. Zhunissov, E. A. Assan, and A. M. Mukhambetzhan Abstract At present, one of the tasks of modern higher education is…

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Should Turkmenistan Use the Caspian Sea to Quench its Thirst?

16 December, 2022

Authors: Originally from Turkmenistan, Jahan Taganova is a water diplomat, One Young World Peace Ambassador, and scholar, working at the intersection of global development and public policy. Jahan graduated with…

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Why Should People Form Professional Groups and Associations?

13 December, 2022

Bolashak Reflections: A Series of Essays by Bolashak Fellows on What They Have Learned from Their Studies Author: Gaini Seitenova If the power of bad people is achieved by the…

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What Can We Teach Our Students about Democracy?

8 December, 2022

Bolashak Reflections: A Series of Essays from Bolashak Fellows on What They Have Learned from their Studies. Author: Mirey Kabasheva A few days ago, I and my fellow friend from…

Book talk with the author of Social Innovations in Post-Soviet Countries

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Escaping the Taliban, One Year Later: Afghan Voices of Hope

6 October, 2022

Escaping the Taliban, One Year Later: Afghan Voices of Hope Afghan Voices of Hope is a project that seeks to strengthen Afghan diasporic civil society by building solidarity and connecting…

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Karakalpakstan Two Months on: Karakalpak and Independent Voices Speak

9 September, 2022

Karakalpakstan Two Months on: Karakalpak and Independent Voices Speak More than two months have passed since mass protests erupted in Uzbekistan’s northwestern region of Karakalpakstan over proposed constitutional amendments that…

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Reform Crisis in Uzbekistan and the Karakalpak Protests

25 July, 2022

Reform Crisis in Uzbekistan and the Karakalpak Protests President Shavkat Mirziyoev initiated several constitutional amendments in Uzbekistan at the end of June which have reminded the world about the autonomous…

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Referendum in Kazakhstan: Political Reset or Political Redux?

10 June, 2022

Referendum in Kazakhstan: Political Reset or Political Redux? Kazakhstan held a snap referendum on June 5th asking voters to approve a major overhaul of the country’s constitution in the wake…

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The Reasons Behind a New Wave of Violence in the Pamirs

31 May, 2022

The Reasons Behind a New Wave of Violence in the Pamirs An online event co-sponsored with the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs and the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Tajikistan’s…

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Making sense of the January 2022 protests in Kazakhstan: failing legitimacy, culture of protests, and elite readjustments

17 May, 2022

By Diana T. Kudaibergenova and Marlene Laruelle ABSTRACT In January 2022 mass protests spread quickly across the whole of Kazakhstan, becoming the largest mass mobilization in the country’s modern history.…