Based on Ernest Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea,” this Kazakhstani Oscar submission tells the story of Kasym, an old shepherd who lives on the remote steppes of Kazakhstan. The old man loves international soccer, horses, his flock and family and tries to bond with his grandson Erali. In the spirit of Hemingway’s original… Continue reading CAP Cinema Club Presents: Shal (Kazakhstan, 2012) by Ermek Tursunov

With Prof. Robert Crews The leftist coup in Afghanistan in 1978 and the Iranian revolution of 1979 unleashed a radical political movement among the Afghan Shia. Since 2001, this movement has achieved new momentum, and Afghan Shi'i activism has become central both to Afghan national politics and to global Shi'ism. This talk examines how Afghan… Continue reading The Afghan Shi’i Movement: Revolutionary Politics and Global Islam

9:30-11:30 AM, Session 1: Towards an Islamic Capitalist Ethic in Central Asia Gül Berna Özcan (Royal Holloway, University of London) Islam, Morality and Entrepreneurship: Evidence from Central Asia Alima Bissenova (Nazarbayev University) Fitting into a Secular Society: The Discreet Charm of Kazakhstani Muslim Entrepreneurs Aisalkyn Botoeva (Islamic Legal Studies Program, Harvard Law School) How Do Capitalist Islamists Make Use… Continue reading ‘Bourgeois’ Islam, Prosperity Theology, and Ethics in Muslim Eurasia

9:00-11:00 AM, Session 1: Sovietness in Central Asia. Politics, Economy, and Society Isaac McKean Scarborough (London School of Economics) The Political Culture of Late Soviet Tajikistan Riccardo Cucciola (National Research University – Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia) Rashidov’s diplomacy: Rethinking Uzbekistan as a model for the Third World (1959-1983) Irina Morozova (Regensburg University) Socialist Solidarity or… Continue reading Culture and Islam in Late Central Asia

10:30AM - 12:00 PM, Session 1: Central Asia’s Regional Environment. Moves and Stabilities  Alexander Cooley, Columbia University Central Asia as Part of Greater Eurasia? Prospects and Challenges Jeffrey Mankoff, CSIS Whither the Eurasian Economic Union? Sebastien Peyrouse, The George Washington University A Sustainable Attractiveness? China’s Projection and Construction of Soft Power in Central Asia   Lunch: 12:00 -… Continue reading Central Asia Security Workshop

4:00 - 5:00 PM, Session 1: Improving Civic Networks and Civil Service in Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan Raushanna Sarkeyeva (Founder/Director, Urban Initiatives Public Foundation, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan) How Do We Strengthen Bishkek's Civic Networks? Elchin Karimov (Independent Researcher, Azerbaijan) Moving from a Patronage to Merit-Based Civil Service in Azerbaijan Break: 5:00 - 5:15 PM 5:15 - 6:15 PM, Session 2: Youth and… Continue reading The 11th CAP Fellows Seminar “Youth, Civic Engagement, and Civil Service in Central Asia and Azerbaijan”

Sofya Omarova,Ph.D. candidate in International Politics and Sociology Department of Social Sciences Oxford Brookes University This presentation seeks to explore the concepts of legitimacy and legitimation and how they relate to regime self-legitimation in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. Legitimation and legitimacy in authoritarian contexts needs to be understood as a three-part process. The first concerns… Continue reading “Paradoxes of Legitimation”: Authoritarianism(s) in modern Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan

Dr. Therese Sabonis-Helf, Georgetown University Dr. Dan Burghart, National Intelligence University Dr. Marlene Laruelle, The George Washington University Dr. Roger Kangas, National Defense University Dr. Laura Adams, USAID Stacie Giles, Virginia Commonwealth University Gawdat Bahgat, National Defense University Mr. Robert Timm, Naval War College This collection provides a broad analysis of social, political, economic, and security issues… Continue reading Central Asia in the Era of Sovereignty; The Return of Tamerlane?

withDr. Timur Dadabaev Associate Professor and Director of the Special Program for Japanese and Eurasian Studies, University of Tsukuba (Japan) There is considerable debate over how and in what form Central Asian (CA) states should conduct relations among each other and with other post-Soviet states. The notion of the “Silk Road” has become one of… Continue reading Discursive Power: Comparative Analysis of the “Silk Road” Narrative in Japanese, Chinese, and Korean Foreign Policies towards Central Asia, and implications for U.S. regional presence

withDr. Alan DeYoung Professor Emeritus at the University of Kentucky What does it mean to be a “student” and “to study” in contemporary Central Asia? During the Soviet era teachers and university faculty were highly regarded and rewarded, however this has changed. As a comparative education scholar, Dr. Alan DeYoung’s research questions focus on issues of teacher,… Continue reading Access and Control of University Education in Central Asia Since 2000

Prof. Vera Axyonova The influence of think tanks on policy processes and civil society in non-consolidated democracies and authoritarian regimes is the focus of this presentation, which aims to map the local think tank landscapes and examine their resources and strategies used to advance certain foreign and security policy choices. The analysis draws on extensive… Continue reading Post-Soviet Think Tanks: The Influence of Think Tanks on Policy Processes in Post-Soviet States

with Dr. Edward Lemon In the past two years, Central Asians have been involved in terrorist attacks in Istanbul, New York, St. Petersburg, and Stockholm. While we have seen more attacks by Central Asians outside the region than within it, in August four tourists were killed in an Islamic State-inspired attack in southern Tajikistan. This was the… Continue reading Assessing the Terrorist Threat In and From Central Asia

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

Even 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