Both in Europe and the United States, this argument is made with increasing frequency but it doesn’t reflect reality.
On October 31, a citizen of Uzbekistan was arrested for the terrorist attack in New York City that led to the death of eight people. The attack drew parallels to a similar truck attack earlier this year in Stockholm, as well as terrorist deeds in Istanbul and St. Petersburg. In these cases the perpetrators were of Uzbek origin. In addition, over 2,000 Central Asians have taken part in the civil war in Syria, fighting for jihadi organizations like the Islamic State or the Nusra Front. Is Central Asia a breeding ground for extremism?
Central Asia: All Together Now
Bilahari Kausikan, S. Frederick Starr and Yang Cheng
The American Interest, June 16, 2017
Monday, April 3, 2017
4:00 p.m.
Since the death of Uzekistan’s President Islam Karimov in September of 2016, the stability that characterized key developments and overall dynamics in Uzbekistan as well as in the Central Asia region as a whole, has been undergoing a noticeable shift. Initiatives of the newly installed President Mirziyoyev in Uzbekistan and proposals regarding reforms by President Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan suggest that something may be stirring in Central Asia. This first joint forum of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute and the Atlantic Council will present these developments, ask if they represent a real shift, and consider the implications of such changes for the Central Asia region as a whole and for its place in the world.
Speakers:
Ambassador John Herbst
Director, Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center
Atlantic Council
Ambassador Richard Hoagland
Interim Co-chair
OSCE Minsk Group
Mr. Daniel Rosenblum
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Central Asia,
Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs
US Department of State
Dr. Martha Olcott
Visiting Professor
Michigan State University
Moderated By:
Dr. S. Frederick Starr
Chairman, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute
American Foreign Policy Council
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