Latest Publications – Central Asia Program

Construction of China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway: Interests, Challenges, and Perspectives for the Kyrgyz Republic

8 June, 2026

This article examines one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects involving China and Central Asia: the construction of the China–Kyrgyz Republic–Uzbekistan (CKU) railway, a project that has been under discussion…

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Kazakhstan Constitutional Reform 2026: Autocratic Institutionalisation or Personalization of Dictatorship?

13 May, 2026

CAP POLICY BRIEF by Sofya Du Boulay and Dinissa Duvanova, March 23, 2026 Sofya Du Boulay is an ESRC Postdoctoral Fellow in Politics at the University of Sussex. She is a…

Reforming the Academy:

7 May, 2026

Centralising Science Governance in Kazakhstan by Aikerim Bektemirova Aikerim Bektemirova is an early-career researcher from Kazakhstan. She recently served as a Non-Resident Scholar at the Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian…

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Reclaiming Civic Space in Authoritarian Central Asia: Why and How Western Donors Must Rethink Their Engagement

2 April, 2026

CAP WORKING PAPER by Sebastien Peyrouse, April 2, 2026 Sebastien Peyrouse is the Director of the Central Asia Program and a Research Professor in the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian…

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Kazakhstan Constitutional Reform 2026: Autocratic Institutionalisation or Personalization of Dictatorship?

23 March, 2026

CAP POLICY BRIEF by Sofya Du Boulay and Dinissa Duvanova, March 23, 2026 Sofya Du Boulay is an ESRC Postdoctoral Fellow in Politics at the University of Sussex. She is a…

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Kazakhstan’s Regional Ecological Summit: A Turning Point for Environmental Protection?

19 March, 2026

CAP POLICY BRIEF by Wilder Alejandro Sánchez, March 19, 2026 Wilder Alejandro Sánchez is President of Second Floor Strategies, a consulting firm in Washington, D.C. He covers geopolitical, defense, environmental and…

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How Iran did not take the Taliban into the “Axis of Resistance”

2 December, 2025

Author: Dr. Antonio Giustozzi is a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). He took his PhD at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).…

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United We Stand. Central Asian Unity: The Way Forward

29 May, 2025

Authors: Aitolkyn Kurmanova is an expert on economic policy in Central Asia, and authored several studies on regional economic cooperation, trade, commodity and financial markets. She has a bachelor’s degree…

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Resource Dependency: A Critical Look at Human Development and Inequality in Turkmenistan

29 January, 2025

Author: This policy brief has been developed by researchers at the Progres Foundation. The extended research on human development has been published on the organization’s website. 1 The Progres Foundation…

Map of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route Tanvir Anjum Adib, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons /Cropped from original, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Middle_Corridor_Route.svg

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The Trans-Caspian Middle Corridor Is Thriving

27 January, 2025

Map of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route Tanvir Anjum Adib, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons /Cropped from original, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Middle_Corridor_Route.svg

https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2019/07/24/09/25/landscape-4359640_1280.jpg

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Reducing U.S. Dependency on Chinese Critical Minerals

22 January, 2025

The Caucasus, Central Asia, and Ukraine and Key Alternative Partners Author: Dr. Eric Rudenshiold is the Senior Caspian Affairs Fellow at the Caspian Policy Center. He served as Director on…

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Local Governance Under Taliban Rule, 2021-2023

4 November, 2024

Authors: Dr. Antonio Giustozzi is a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). He took his PhD at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).…

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Formalities of Contemporary Central Asian Militaries

5 March, 2024

Author: László Kövecses is currently a PhD student in History at Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Budapest. Previously he earned his MSc degree at the University of Glasgow in Russian, Central…

Almaty city landscape with mountains, houses and a TV tower

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How Foreign Funders Should Strengthen Their Support for Civil Society

9 October, 2023

A CASE STUDY OF USAID IN KAZAKHSTAN By Sebastien Peyrouse, PhD, Director of The Central Asia Program, The George Washington University U.S. and other foreign donors have engaged in Kazakhstan to support the development…

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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 mosque at dusk time reflecting in water

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State-Mandated Muslimness in Kazakhstan

30 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…

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

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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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Negotiating Gender in Central Asia

3 May, 2022

With estimates ranging from 5,000 to 7,000 men and women migrating to Syria and Iraq from the Central Asian states since April 2013, the region ranks third in supplying foreign…

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Book Discussion—Bagila Bukharbayeva, The Vanishing Generation: Faith and Uprising in Modern Uzbekistan

23 March, 2022

By Michael Hall Bagila Bukharbayeva’s The Vanishing Generation: Faith and Uprising in Modern Uzbekistan follows the trajectory of Islamic dissidence and opposition under the rule of Uzbekistan’s dictatorial leader, Islam Karimov, from…

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Uchyot and Foucault: Drug Users and Migrants in Post-Soviet Central Asia and Russia

23 March, 2022

By Rano Turaeva and Muyassar Turaeva In this paper, we unpack the uchyot (“registration”) system using Foucault’s regime-based approach. Uchyot is a Soviet tool for controlling populations by requiring them to register personal information and…

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Discussing Sinophobia in Kyrgyzstan

23 March, 2022

By Aizat Shailoobek Kyzy This paper investigates how Chinese migrants are perceived by different groups in Kyrgyzstan—and in what domains local people turn to Sinophobia. To date, Kyrgyzstani political leaders…

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How Perceptions of the English Language Have Changed in Kazakhstan: A Narrative Analysis

23 March, 2022

By Valerie Sartor This study provides an overview of how perceptions of the English language in Kazakhstan have altered over time due to political, economic, social and technological changes. The…