Beijing Binds: How COVID-19 is Deepening China’s Relationship with Central Asia with Raffaello Pantucci
COVID-19 has further exposed tensions that exist within China's relations with Central Asia. Yet at the same time, they have created a real opportunity for China to deepen its existing links and strengthen its position within the region. While in the first instance, the Central Asian countries sent aid to China, Beijing has now reciprocated with… Continue reading Beijing Binds: How COVID-19 is Deepening China’s Relationship with Central Asia with Raffaello Pantucci
Turkmenistan and the Fight Against COVID-19
Webex Virtual EventEven if officials in Turkmenistan continue to remain in denial about the virus, there are growing signs that not only the pandemic might have reached the country, but the authorities are increasingly concerned about how to deal with it. While certain early measures have been taken by the government officials such as banning incoming and… Continue reading Turkmenistan and the Fight Against COVID-19
Post COVID-19: Building Resilience in Central Asia
Webex Virtual EventThe social and economic impacts of the novel coronavirus are amplified in Central Asia, where healthcare resources are limited, supply chains are vulnerable, and government revenues are dependent on a narrow range of commodities produced by extractive industries. While the spread of the disease in Central Asia is moderate, the economic repercussions are more serious.… Continue reading Post COVID-19: Building Resilience in Central Asia
The COVID-19 Pandemic and Central Asian Migrants in Russia
Webex Virtual EventThe Covid-19 pandemic revealed how Central Asian migrants in Russia are vulnerable to both the spread of the virus and the impact it causes on their livelihoods. Its effects are particularly visible in the everyday living and working conditions of migrants, including for those migrants who are currently serving prison sentences in Russian penal institutions… Continue reading The COVID-19 Pandemic and Central Asian Migrants in Russia
Current Developments in Uzbekistan: A Conversation with H.E. Javlon Vakhabov, Ambassador of Uzbekistan to the US and Canada
Webex Virtual EventUzbekistan has been witnessing significant transformation since the election of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in 2016: changing foreign policy priorities, liberalizing economy, reforming state administration and developing job opportunities for a younger population (72% of the population is under the age of forty). Furthermore, in December 2019 the country held its first parliamentary election under the new administration. The… Continue reading Current Developments in Uzbekistan: A Conversation with H.E. Javlon Vakhabov, Ambassador of Uzbekistan to the US and Canada
Book Launch: Analysing Kazakhstan’s Foreign Policy – Regime Neo-Eurasianism in the Nazarbaev Era
Webex Virtual EventThis book investigates the roles that ideas and constructs associated with Eurasia have played in the making of Kazakhstan’s foreign policy during the Nazarbaev era. It delves into the specific Eurasia-centric narratives through which the regime, headed by Nursultan Nazarbaev, imagined the role of post-Soviet Kazakhstan in the wider Eurasian geopolitical space. Based on substantive fieldwork… Continue reading Book Launch: Analysing Kazakhstan’s Foreign Policy – Regime Neo-Eurasianism in the Nazarbaev Era
Kazakhstan’s Policy on Multilingualism with Jill Neuendorf
Webex Virtual EventIn this presentation, Jill Neuendorf examines the advantages and disadvantages of Kazakhstan’s Trinity Language Program. She presents the findings of qualitative research conducted in Almaty, Kazakhstan in July 2019 with ten Kazakhstani pedagogues who shared their opinion of the Program’s ultimate success or failure. Participants stated that factors such as having a sufficient number of… Continue reading Kazakhstan’s Policy on Multilingualism with Jill Neuendorf
Current Challenges in Tajikistan Amidst Elections and Covid-19 with Muhiddin Kabiri
Webex Virtual EventThe Central Asia Program invites you to an online discussion with exiled opposition leader Muhiddin Kabiri, the Chairman of the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan, to explore the country’s current situation and future prospects. Tajikistan faces significant economic, social, and human rights challenges as it gears up for Presidential elections on October 11, 2020 and… Continue reading Current Challenges in Tajikistan Amidst Elections and Covid-19 with Muhiddin Kabiri
What’s At Stake In Tajikistan’s Presidential Elections
Webex Virtual EventTajikistan is headed to a crucial presidential election on October 11, where incumbent Emomali Rahmon is once more on the ballot, who is in power since 1992. The other four candidates on the ballot are, Rustam Latifzoda of the Agrarian Party; Abduhalim Ghafforov of the Socialist Party; Miroj Abdulloev of the Communist Party; Rustam… Continue reading What’s At Stake In Tajikistan’s Presidential Elections
Kyrgyzstan Parliamentary Elections and the Path Forward
Webex Virtual EventCarnegie Endowment for International Peace invites you for a discussion on Kyrgyzstan as it holds parliamentary elections on October 4. Kyrgyzstan is Central Asia’s only democracy, but contested elections and pluralistic politics there have not necessarily led to better governance and accountability in the nation. This election is taking place amidst tremendous political and socio-economic… Continue reading Kyrgyzstan Parliamentary Elections and the Path Forward
Cultures of Islam: Variations of Muslim Belief and Practice from the Irtysh River to the Black Sea
Zoom WebinarSummary In this open discussion, we will examine the diversity of Muslim belief and practice in Russia beyond the capital, Moscow. During this two-day conference, twelve experts will reflect upon case studies from regions across Russia: Siberia, the Ural and Volga regions, the North Caucasus and Crimea. Of primary interest is the relationship between Islam and… Continue reading Cultures of Islam: Variations of Muslim Belief and Practice from the Irtysh River to the Black Sea
Current Challenges Facing the Post-Soviet Societies of Central Asia
The Central Asia Program invites you to an online discussion with renowned human rights lawyer Yevgeniy Zhovtis about how the future of Central Asian states is threatened by their inability to move past Soviet attitudes and the grasp of elite ruling circles. The event will focus on concerns stemming from the continuing concentration of political… Continue reading Current Challenges Facing the Post-Soviet Societies of Central Asia
1150th Anniversary of Al-Farabi: The Legacy of Medieval Wisdom
The year 2020 marks the 1150th anniversary of Al-Farabi – the most famous Oriental thinker originated from the Kazakh land. His legacy has been a connecting “spiritual bridge” between West and East, combining the works of the ancient and Islamic worlds, and influencing the development of science and the Renaissance in Europe. In these difficult… Continue reading 1150th Anniversary of Al-Farabi: The Legacy of Medieval Wisdom
Parental Labor Migration and Educational Attainment in Kyrgyzstan
The Central Asia Program invites you to an online discussion with international education specialist Dr. Todd Drummond about the association between migrant parents and student learning outcomes in Kyrgyzstan. The event will focus on the methods employed and an interpretation of results. The discussion will pose important questions for policy makers in the Kyrgyz Republic… Continue reading Parental Labor Migration and Educational Attainment in Kyrgyzstan
The Other Side of Oil
George Washington University’s Central Asia Program and Crude Accountability present, “The Other Side of Oil,” a documentary film, which raises important issues of environmental degradation, social justice, and poverty. Through striking images of the landscape of Kazakhstan and depictions of the lives of ordinary villagers, the film includes extensive interviews with people who live in… Continue reading The Other Side of Oil
Late Soviet Central Asia: Colonialism vs Nationalism
Мероприятие пройдет на русском, с вопросами на русском и английском языках.This event will be held in Russian with questions in English. Как колониальное и национальное проявляется и сосуществует в нарративах таджикской интеллигенции, казахской оперы и туркменских коврах? Эти вопросы обсуждаются на семинаре с участием Артемия Калиновского, Нари Шелекпаева и Снежаны Атановой. Модераторы дискуссии: Марлен Ларуэль и… Continue reading Late Soviet Central Asia: Colonialism vs Nationalism
Kazakhstan’s Parliamentary Elections: What Next?
Kazakhstan will hold parliamentary and local elections on the 10th January. There is little intrigue as to the results given that opposition parties were not allowed to participate. New regulations that restrict election observers have further enhanced state control over the voting process. These developments disappointed many Kazakhstani citizens, who previously had hoped President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s promises of political reform would prove more forthcoming. Please join the Central Asia… Continue reading Kazakhstan’s Parliamentary Elections: What Next?
Book Launch: January 26 – Land of Strangers – The Civilizing Project in Qing Central Asia
At the close of the nineteenth century, near the end of the Qing empire, Confucian revivalists from central China gained control of the Muslim-majority region of Xinjiang, or East Turkestan. There they undertook a program to transform Turkic-speaking Muslims into Chinese-speaking Confucians, seeking to bind this population and their homeland to the Chinese cultural and… Continue reading Book Launch: January 26 – Land of Strangers – The Civilizing Project in Qing Central Asia
Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism and Radicalization that Lead to Terrorism in Central Asia – Reflections on Challenges and Opportunities
The multifaceted nature of violent extremism and terrorism in all its forms suggests that conditions conducive to violent extremism and terrorism are similarly diverse. Some of the cardinal root causes tend to be ideological, political, economic, or religious in nature; but also coupled with confounding causes linked to issues like mental health or education, to… Continue reading Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism and Radicalization that Lead to Terrorism in Central Asia – Reflections on Challenges and Opportunities
Trapped in the System: Experiences of Uyghur Detention in Xinjiang
More than a million -- some say 3 million -- Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities have been arbitrarily detained and imprisoned in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region since 2016. China has justified its crackdown by claiming it is part of a counter-terrorism campaign aimed at rooting out “extremism.” However, human rights groups and international observers… Continue reading Trapped in the System: Experiences of Uyghur Detention in Xinjiang
30th Anniversary of US-Kazakh Diplomatic Relations
The Central Asia Program and the Embassy of Kazakhstan invite you to a virtual discussion to mark the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the US and Kazakhstan.On December 16, 2021, Kazakhstan will celebrate 30 years of independence. Back in the 1990s, the country voluntarily renounced the fourth-largest nuclear arsenal in the world and closed the… Continue reading 30th Anniversary of US-Kazakh Diplomatic Relations
Book Launch: March 5 – Slow Anti-Americanism: The Social Movements and Symbolic Politics in Central Asia
Negative views of the United States abound, but we know too little about how such views affect politics. Drawing on careful research on post-Soviet Central Asia, Edward Schatz argues that anti-Americanism is best seen not as a rising tide that swamps or as a conflagration that overwhelms. Rather, "America" is a symbolic resource that resides… Continue reading Book Launch: March 5 – Slow Anti-Americanism: The Social Movements and Symbolic Politics in Central Asia
Book Launch: March 10, 2021 – Toward Nationalizing Regimes: Conceptualizing Power and Identity in the Post-Soviet Realm
The collapse of the Soviet Union famously opened new venues for the theories of nationalism and the study of processes and actors involved in these new nation-building processes. In this comparative study, Kudaibergenova takes the new states and nations of Eurasia that emerged in 1991, Latvia and Kazakhstan, and seeks to better understand the phenomenon… Continue reading Book Launch: March 10, 2021 – Toward Nationalizing Regimes: Conceptualizing Power and Identity in the Post-Soviet Realm
Book Launch: March 15 – Pipe Dreams: Water and Empire in Central Asia’s Aral Sea Basin
Pipe Dreams explores the ways in which both the tsarist and Soviet regimes used fantasies of bringing the deserts to life as a means of claiming legitimacy in Central Asia, a process that ultimately led to the drying up of Central Asia’s Aral Sea. Maya Peterson argues that the disappearance of the Aral Sea, considered… Continue reading Book Launch: March 15 – Pipe Dreams: Water and Empire in Central Asia’s Aral Sea Basin
