Central Asia

The Emerging Role of Muslim Civil Society In Central Asia

(PONARS Eurasia Policy Memo) In the three decades since the fall of the Soviet Union, Muslim civil society has developed significantly in Central Asia. Yet, in contemporary discussions on the…

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What Drives Border Conflicts in Central Asia? Roots of the Deadly Violence on the Kyrgyz-Tajik Border

(PONARS Eurasia Policy Memo) In late April 2021, cross-border violence resulted in the deaths of 36 Kyrgyz and 19 Tajik citizens. The springtime violence represents the deadliest interstate conflict in…

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Engaging with Muslim Civil Society in Central Asia: Components, Approaches, and Opportunities

(USIP) Summary: Muslim civil society organizations (MCSOs) in Central Asia are highly diverse in terms of views, activities, and structures. In most cases, however, they are politically moderate, supportive of…

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Three Decades of Post-Soviet Institution-Building: Slow Start, Expansion, Stagnation

(PONARS Eurasia Policy Memo) As this year draws to a close, Russia and most of the former Soviet states will mark three decades since the USSR was dissolved and a…

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Russia’s Approach to Afghanistan Following the Taliban Takeover

(PONARS Eurasia Policy Memo) The key words to describe Russia’s immediate reaction to the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021 are pragmatic, relatively calm, and restrained. While the Kremlin…

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Soft Power in Central Asia: The Politics of Influence and Seduction

(CAP) Central Asia often evokes images of imperial power rivalry dating back to the 19th century. Yet as the region’s international politics becomes more complex in the age of globalization,…

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Central Peripheries: Nationhood in Central Asia

(UCL Press) Central Peripheries explores post-Soviet Central Asia through the prism of nation-building. Although relative latecomers on the international scene, the Central Asian states see themselves as globalized, and yet in…

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China’s Expanding Military Education Diplomacy in Central Asia

(PONARS Eurasia Policy Memo) In the past decade, Chinese universities have been inviting mid- and senior-level military officers from Central Asia and other countries in Eurasia. Chinese military education programs…

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How Will U.S. Policy toward Central Asia Look under the Biden Administration?

(Davis Center) The United States made an important contribution to the independence of Central Asian states—perhaps the largest of all the powers seriously involved in the affairs of the region.…

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Central Asian Responses to COVID-19: Regime Legitimacy and [De]Securitization of the Health Crisis

(PONARS Eurasia Policy Memo) Despite a history of using discourses of danger to define other transnational challenges (e.g., Islamic radicalism), Central Asia’s governments have not framed the coronavirus pandemic in…

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The Emerging Role of Muslim Civil Society In Central Asia

What Drives Border Conflicts in Central Asia? Roots of the Deadly Violence on the Kyrgyz-Tajik Border

Engaging with Muslim Civil Society in Central Asia: Components, Approaches, and Opportunities

Three Decades of Post-Soviet Institution-Building: Slow Start, Expansion, Stagnation

Russia’s Approach to Afghanistan Following the Taliban Takeover

Soft Power in Central Asia: The Politics of Influence and Seduction

Central Peripheries: Nationhood in Central Asia

China’s Expanding Military Education Diplomacy in Central Asia

How Will U.S. Policy toward Central Asia Look under the Biden Administration?

Central Asian Responses to COVID-19: Regime Legitimacy and [De]Securitization of the Health Crisis