Turkish Religious Movements in the Caucasus and Central Asia
with, Bayram Balci, Visiting Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace In the 1990s-2000s, different Islamic movements had the opportunity to develop and spread their ideas throughout the former Soviet Union. They contributed drastically to the religiousrevival in both Caucasus and Central Asia. Among them, those coming from Turkey were more influential, especially the Nurcu movement of Fethullah Gülen, which… Continue reading Turkish Religious Movements in the Caucasus and Central Asia
Informal Justice in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan
with Azita Ranjbar and Dr. Eric McGlinchey What role does informal justice play in resolving conflict in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan? Is there an inverse relationship between the use of informal justice mechanisms and properly functioning state institutions? In Kyrgyzstan, aksakal courts (courts of elders) are village-level institutions responsible for resolving community-level disputes, although they are increasingly described as largely obsolete… Continue reading Informal Justice in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan
USAID Experience with Legislative Strengthening in the Former Soviet Union
With Dr. Eric Rudenshiold, Senior Officer in Charge of Kyrgyzstan and the Central Asian Republics at USAID Kregg Halstead, Chief of Party of USAIDs "Kyrgyzstan Parliamentary Strengthening Program" being implemented by DAI Moderated by Dr. Sean Roberts, Director and Associate Professor, International Development Studies Program, The Elliott School of International Affairs, The George Washington University In the two decades since… Continue reading USAID Experience with Legislative Strengthening in the Former Soviet Union
Border Security Assistance in Central Asia: Implications for Post-2014 Afghanistan
with George Gavrilis, Executive Director,The Hollings Center for International Dialogue A discussion of Central Asia’s Border Woes & the Impact of International Assistance Occasional Paper Series, Central Eurasia Project, Open Society Foundations Please join us for a discussion on border security assistance in Central Asia and its implications for the 2014 U.S. and NATO drawdown in Afghanistan. Over the… Continue reading Border Security Assistance in Central Asia: Implications for Post-2014 Afghanistan
Iranian Religious Presence in the Republic of Azerbaijan: Roots, Forms and Security Implications
with Fuad Aliyev Fulbright Scholar at the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University Iranian religious influence in Azerbaijan has recently become a ‘hot’ topic. However, there is little insiderknowledge, or data-based analysis of the situation on the ground. Is Iran indeed capable of usingreligious activists as its fifth column in the Republic… Continue reading Iranian Religious Presence in the Republic of Azerbaijan: Roots, Forms and Security Implications
Kyrgyzstan in Its Regional Context
with Asylbek Jeenbekov, Speaker of the Supreme Council of Kyrgyzstan, The Jogorku Kengesh The George Washington University’s International Development Studies Program and Central AsiaProgram are proud to host Asylbek Jeenbekov, Speaker of the Kyrgyz Parliament, to discuss security and development issues in Kyrgyzstan and in the Central Asian region.
Debating “Patronal Politics in Central Asia:” A Demokratizatsiya Special Issue
withSlovomir Horak, Charles University Marlène Laruelle, IERES Erica Marat, American University Lawrence Markowitz, Rowan University and Sébastien Peyrouse, IERES The Fall 2012 issue of IERES’ Demokratizatsiya: The Journal of Post-Soviet Democratization examines the role of patronal politics in Central Asia. An introductory essay about the concepts of neopatrimonialism and patronal presidentialism lays out the theoretical background for the issue.Five country-study… Continue reading Debating “Patronal Politics in Central Asia:” A Demokratizatsiya Special Issue
Islam and Politics in Tajikistan: An Insider’s View
with Muhiddin Kabiri, Chairman of the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan Muhiddin Kabiri, Chairman of the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan, will discuss the current situation in Tajikistan including the preparation for the presidential elections in 2013, the new restrictive laws on religion, the difficulties faced by the Islamic Renaissance Party, and the tensions in the Gorno-Badakhshan region since last… Continue reading Islam and Politics in Tajikistan: An Insider’s View
Merging Eurasian Insights with the Study of Afghanistan
THE EURASIA PROGRAM of the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) and the Central Asia Program at the Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies atGeorge Washington University are pleased to announce a field development workshop, to be held on the GWU campus November 1-4, 2012. ELIGIBILITY Applicants must be US citizens or permanent residents and currently either within five… Continue reading Merging Eurasian Insights with the Study of Afghanistan
Extractive Politics, Trust Deficit & Uncertainty in Afghanistan and Central Asia
with Nazif Shahrani, Professor, Indiana University-Bloomington In the framework of the SSRC Eurasian Program's Workshop "Crossing Boundaries: Merging Eurasian Insights with the Study of Afghanistan" the Central Asia Program is proud to host Nazif Sharhani, Professor of Central Eurasian Studies and Anthropology at Indiana University-Bloomington. In his presentation Professor Sharhani will discuss the following key questions: What are… Continue reading Extractive Politics, Trust Deficit & Uncertainty in Afghanistan and Central Asia
