Uzbekistan: A New Model for Reform in the Muslim World
By S. Frederick Starr and Svante E. Cornell
Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst
May 12, 2018
Dramatic and important changes are taking place in Central Asia. For more than a year the region’s historic core and geopolitical focal point has been immersed in a whirlwind of reform without precedent in the region. At a time when one-man rule has been reinforced in China and Russia, when the rule of law is in abeyance in countries as diverse as South Africa and Venezuela, and when most Muslim majority societies appear to be receding into a new authoritarianism informed by religious ideology, Uzbekistan has instituted reforms that are ambitious in aim and extensive in scope.
It is far too early to say how it will all come out, or even how far it will go. But there is little doubt that that the current reforms are all organized around solid commitment to the rule of law, the rights of citizens, elective governance, an open market economy, religious tolerance, cordial relations with the great powers without sacrificing sovereignty, and a new embrace of the Central Asian region itself as an actor on the world state. It’s time for the world to take stock of this startling development.
CACI Forum Invitation: Opening in Uzbekistan: A Preview of President Mirziyoyev's Visit
Opening in Uzbekistan: A Preview of President Mirziyoyev's Visit
Please join the Atlantic Council and the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute of the American Foreign Policy Council for an event entitled Opening in Uzbekistan: A Preview of President Mirziyoyev's Visit on Monday, May 14, 2018 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Atlantic Council headquarters (1030 15th Street NW, 12th Floor, West Tower Elevators).
This May, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan will visit Washington, DC at the invitation of US President Donald J. Trump. The new government under President Mirziyoyev announced political and economic reforms to open Uzbekistan for international cooperation and foreign direct investments. The new regional policy of Tashkent in Central Asia has given dynamism and prospects to solve old issues like border demarcation, a fair share of water resources, extremism and terrorism, and peace building process in Afghanistan.
The Atlantic Council and the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute of the American Foreign Policy Council are convening a panel to discuss and evaluate President Mirziyoyev’s visit to the White House, along with implications for US-Uzbekistan relations, broader international and regional issues, and overall stability in the region.
We hope you can join us for this timely discussion.
Speakers:
Senator Sodiq Safoev
First Deputy Chairman
Senate of the Republic of Uzbekistan
Dr. Akmal Saidov
Director; Chairman
National Human Rights Centre of the Republic of Uzbekistan; Committee on Democratic Institutions, Non-Governmental Organizations and Citizens' Self-Governing Bodies Committee of the Legislative Chamber of Oliy Majlis
Ambassador Ismatulla Irgashev
Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Afghanistan
Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan
Mr. Eldor Aripov
Director, Information and Analytical Center for International Relations
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan
Ms. Lisa Curtis
Deputy Assistant to the President
and Senior Director for South and Central Asia
National Security Council
Dr. Frederick Starr
Founder and Chairman
The Central Asia-Caucasus Institute and the Silk Road Studies Program
Moderator: Ambassador John Herbst
Director, Eurasia Center
Atlantic Council
Where: The Atlantic Council, 12th Floor (West Tower Elevators), 1030 15th Street, NW
When: Monday, May 14, 2018 from 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm
RSVP: Send to Atlantic Council
The Economic Modernization of Uzbekistan
CACI Forum: Economic Modernization in Uzbekistan under President Mirziyoyev
Economic Modernization in Uzbekistan under President Mirziyoyev
Since Shavkat Mirziyoyev became Acting President in September 2016, the Government of Uzbekistan has embarked on a series of far-reaching reforms in practically every area from foreign policy to governance and culture. A key element in the reform agenda has been the modernization of Uzbekistan’s economy. This Forum event marked the launch of another Silk Road Paper that analyzes this reform agenda. “Economic Modernization in Uzbekistan under President Mirziyoyev,” which was released on April 10, authored by Mamuka Tserereli.
The Forum event, moderated by CACI Chairman S. Frederick Starr, featured a summary of the published report, and commentary from representatives of the international financial institutions.
Speaker:
Mamuka Tsereteli, Senior Research Fellow, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute
Albert Jaeger, Mission Chief for Uzbekistan, IMF
David M Gould, Lead Economist, Europe and Central Asia Region, World Bank
Moderator: S. Frederick Starr, Chairman, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute
Where: The Middle East Institute, 1319 18th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
When: Tuesday, April 10, 2018 from 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
RSVP: Send to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or follow the link to Eventbrite
CACI Forum: Mirziyoyev's Domestic Reforms, Year One: Judiciary, Governance and Civil Society
Mirziyoyev's Domestic Reforms, Year One: Judiciary, Governance and Civil Society
Since Shavkat Mirziyoyev acceded to power in the fall of 2016, a wave of reforms has affected every sector in Uzbekistan – ranging from the judiciary and governance to electoral matters and civil society. The Western press and even analysts have taken only superficial note of these reforms. But what is their actual breadth and depth? Can they actually be implemented? And what will they mean for Uzbekistan and the region?
CACI addressed these issues in a Silk Road Paper by Anthony C. Bowyer entitled, Political Reform in Mirziyoyev's Uzbekistan: Elections, Political Parties and Civil Society.
This Forum, moderated by CACI Chairman S. Frederick Starr, presented the findings of our authors Mjuša Sever and Anthony Bowyer and focused on reforms in the judiciary, governance, and civil society.
Be sure to watch the full recording of the event below.
Speakers:
Mjuša Sever, Director, Regional Dialogue, Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Anthony Bowyer, Senior Program Manager, Caucasus and Central Asia, IFES
Moderator: Fred Starr, Chairman, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute
Where: The Middle East Institute, 1319 18th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
When: Tuesday, March 6, 2018 from 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
News
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Central Asia Diplomats Call for Closer Ties With US
REPRINTED with permission from Voice of America News
By Navbahor Imamova
WASHINGTON -- U.S.-based diplomats from Central Asia, a region long dominated by Russia and more recently China, say they are eager for more engagement with the United States.Many American foreign policy experts agree that a more robust relationship would be mutually beneficial, though U.S.-based nongovernmental organizations express deep concerns about human rights and authoritarian rule in the five countries: Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
Michael Delaney, a former U.S. trade official, argued in favor of greater engagement this week at a webinar organized by the American-Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce.
He noted that three of the five republics are World Trade Organization members and the other two are in the accession process — a goal actively encouraged by the U.S. government.
"I've always believed that this is a geographically disadvantaged area. There are relatively small national economies," he said. But, he said, collectively the region represents a potentially more connected market, about 80 million people.
Key issues
In this virtual gathering, all five Central Asian ambassadors to Washington expressed eagerness to work on issues the U.S. has long pushed for, such as water and energy sustainability, security cooperation, environmental protection and climate, and connectivity.
Kazakhstan's Ambassador Yerzhan Ashikbayev said that despite all factors, the United States does not want to leave the field to China, its global competitor, which actively invests in the region.
"Recent visit by 20 companies to Kazakhstan as a part of certified U.S. trade mission, including technology giants like Apple, Microsoft, Google, but also other partners like Boeing, have shown a growing interest," Ashikbayev said.
The Kazakh diplomat described a "synergy" of economies and diplomatic efforts. All Central Asian states are committed to dialogue, trade and multilateralism, he said. "As we are witnessing the return of the divisive bloc mentalities almost unseen for 30 years, it's in our best interest to prevent Central Asia from turning into another battleground of global powers."
During his first tour of Central Asia earlier this year, Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, meeting separately with the foreign ministers of all five countries.
That was deeply appreciated, said Meret Orazov, Turkmenistan's longtime ambassador, who also praised the regular bilateral consultations the U.S. holds with these countries.
Uzbek Ambassador Furqat Sidiqov sees the U.S. as an important partner, with "long-standing friendship and cooperation which have only grown stronger over the years."
"The U.S. has played a significant role in promoting dialogue and cooperation among the Central Asian nations through initiatives such as the C5+1," he said, referring to a diplomatic platform comprising Washington and the region's five governments.
"This is where we address common concerns and enhance integration," said Sidiqov. "We encourage the U.S. to bolster this mechanism."
Tashkent regards Afghanistan as key to Central Asia's development, potentially linking the landlocked region to the markets and seaports of South Asia. Sidiqov said his country counts on American assistance.
'Possibility of positive change'
Fred Starr, chairman of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute in Washington, ardently advocates for the U.S. to adopt closer political, economic and people-to-people ties with the region.
In a recent paper, he wrote that among dozens of officials, diplomats, entrepreneurs, experts, journalists and civil society leaders interviewed in Central Asia, "even those most critical of American positions saw the possibility of positive change and … all acknowledged that the need for change is on both sides, theirs as well as ours."
This is the only region that doesn't have its own organization, said Starr, arguing that the U.S. could support this effort. "We have not done so, probably because we think that this is somehow going to interfere with their relations with their other big neighbors, the north and east, but it's not going to. It's not against anyone."
"Easy to do, low cost, very big outcome," he added, also underscoring that "there is a feeling the U.S. should be much more attentive to security."
"Japan, the European Union, Russia, China, their top leaders have visited. … No U.S. president has ever set foot in Central Asia," he said. He added that regional officials are left to wonder, "Are we so insignificant that they can't take the time to visit?"
Starr urges U.S. President Joe Biden to convene the C5+1 in New York during the 78th session of the U.N. General Assembly in September. "This would not be a big drain on the president's time, but it would be symbolically extremely important," he said. "All of them want this to happen."
Read at VOA News -
Read CACI Chairman S. Frederick Starr's recent interview on the resurgence of Imperial Russia with The American Purpose
Why Russians Support the War: Jeffrey Gedmin interviews S. Frederick Starr on the resurgence of Imperial Russia.
The American Purpose, May 23, 2023
Jeffrey Gedmin: Do we have a Putin problem or a Russia problem today?
S. Frederick Starr: We have a Putin problem because we have a Russia problem. Bluntly, the mass of Russians are passive and easily manipulated—down to the moment they aren’t. Two decades ago they made a deal with Vladimir Putin, as they have done with many of his predecessors: You give us a basic income, prospects for a better future, and a country we can take pride in, and we will give you a free hand. This is the same formula for autocracy that prevailed in Soviet times, and, before that, under the czars. The difference is that this time Russia’s leader—Putin—and his entourage have adopted a bizarre and dangerous ideology, “Eurasianism,” that empowers them to expand Russian power at will over the entire former territory of the USSR and even beyond. It is a grand and awful vision that puffs up ruler and ruled alike.
What do most Russians think of this deal? It leaves them bereft of the normal rights of citizenship but free from its day-to-day responsibilities. So instead of debating, voting, and demonstrating, Russians store up their frustrations and then release them in elemental, often destructive, and usually futile acts of rebellion. This “Russia problem” leaves the prospect of change in Russia today in the hands of alienated members of Putin’s immediate entourage, many of whom share his vision of Russia’s destiny and are anyway subject to Putin’s ample levers for control. Thus, our “Putin problem” arises from our “Russia problem.”
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CACI director Svante Cornell's interviewed on the 'John Batchelor Show' podcast regarding Turkey's 2023 presidential election
Listen to CACI director Svante Cornell's recent interview on the 'John Batchelor Show' podcast regarding Turkey's 2023 presidential election. Click here!
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New Article Series on Changing Geopolitics of Central Asia and the Caucasus
