On September 19, President Joe Biden met with Central Asian Presidents at a C5+1 summit in New York. This marks the first time an American president has sat down with the combined leaders of this region. What will come out of this positive step in U.S. policy toward Central Asia? What should happen next? This CACI Online Forum delves into these matters.
Scroll down to watch the recording of the webinar.
Panelists:
- H.E. Furqat Sidikov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the United States of America
- Dr. S. Frederick Starr, Chairman, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute
- Mr. S. Enders Wimbush, Distinguished Fellow for Strategic Studies, American Foreign Policy Council
Moderator:
- Dr. Svante Cornell, Director, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute
WHEN: Thursday, September 28 - 10:00 - 11:00 AM EST
Central Asia is often portrayed through metaphors such as a “Grand Chessboard” or a “Great Game,” a perspective that denies agency to the regional states. But today, it is clear that Central Asian states are capable of defining their individual and joint interests and translating them into concrete programs. This has profound implications for the United States and Europe, who can take stock of this process to expand their partnership with Central Asian states.
Join CACI Chairman S. Frederick Starr and Director Svante Cornell for a webinar discussing their latest co-authored Silk Road Studies Paper, Stepping up to the “Agency Challenge”: Central Asian Diplomacy in a Time of Troubles (July 2023).
Scroll down to watch the full video.
Join us for a hybrid forum co-organized by the CAMCA Forum founders:
Two years after the Taliban gained power in Afghanistan no country has recognized its government and its leadership remains under international sanctions. However, dozens of countries, including Russia and China, have exchanged sub-ambassadorial officials with Kabul. Several international projects are underway, and donors still provide Afghanistan with millions of dollars for humanitarian purposes—all this as Taliban rulers continue to impose severe restrictions targeting girls, women, and minorities, and brutally crack down on all forms of dissent.
You are invited to join a panel discussion that will assess the current challenges facing the U.S. and its partners in dealing with Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. Topics will include options for alleviating the suffering of the Afghan people without helping their rulers.
Panelists:
Ali Ahmad Jalali, Distinguished Professor, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, National Defense University
Farishta Sakhi, Project Director, Freedom House; CAMCA Network Member
Scott Worden, Director, Afghanistan and Central Asia Programs, United States Institute of Peace
Sami Mahdi, Editor-in-Chief, Amu TV; CAMCA Network Member
Moderator: S. Frederick Starr, Chairman, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute at the American Foreign Policy Council
When: Tuesday August 15, 2023 from 3:30-5:00 PM EST. Registration and light refreshments begin at 3:00 PM.
Where: American Foreign Policy Council, 509 C Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002 and via Zoom
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to register to attend in-person.
Click here to register to attend via Zoom.
The U.S.-Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce is pleased to host a virtual discussion with CACI Chairman Dr. S. Frederick Starr on "U.S. Policy Through Central Asian Eyes".
When: Tuesday, June 20, 2023, 8.00 AM EST – 9.30 AM EST
Who: Elena V. Son, Executive Director, AUCC, USKGZBC, USTJBC, USABI (moderator) and Dr. S. Frederick Starr, Distinguished Fellow for Eurasia and Chairman of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, American Foreign Policy Council
With Opening Remarks (in alphabetical order of Central Asian Countries) from:
Click to Register. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
About the event: Join the U.S.-Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce webinar which will focus on the unprecedented challenges that the U.S. and Central Asian countries are currently facing. It is an excellent opportunity to learn from Dr. S. Frederick Starr about how Central Asian governments perceive American policies.
"Today both the countries of Central Asia and the U.S. itself face unprecedented challenges at the global and national levels... It is important for Washington to know how its positions and actions are perceived by the countries towards which they are directed. Official statements by Central Asian governments and on-the-record comments by their officials touch on this question but cannot answer it, for they often gloss over the officials’ real concerns or present them in such watered-down generalities as to render them unrecognizable. In an effort to gain a better understanding of how Central Asian governments perceive American policies we have therefore turned to the Central Asians themselves, including senior officials, diplomats, business people, local policy experts, journalists, and leaders of civil society organizations. In all, we have conducted some fifty interviews. All our subjects spoke on the condition of strict anonymity and “not for attribution".
We have been impressed not only with the candor of our interviewees but also the positive spirit in which they made their comments... Even those most critical of American positions saw the possibility of positive change and looked forward to improved and deepened relations with America in days to come. And all acknowledged that the need for change is on both sides, theirs as well as ours." Continue reading here.