... democratic’ or ‘truly democratic,’ thereby setting the stage for the outside world to decide which side is telling the truth more accurately. It is not always an easy choice. Whether it has been in Southeast Asia, Africa, Latin America, Central Asia or the Caucasus, what the world has usually seen is a corrupt and/or dysfunctional regime replaced ultimately by opposition figures or parties that come to be almost as corrupt and dysfunctional, if not more so. The momentous events that ...
... into question whether it should be classified as an IO at all. Renaming it a politically-motivated axis of convenience is less grand but perhaps a more accurate description of its nature and functions.
China
China's main position within Central Asia is economic, though certain security issues also exist. China is extremely interested in currying favor with Central Asia to help feed its voracious energy appetite. On the other hand issues of ethnic unrest in Xinjiang, China's western ...
... domestic arena, where security remains the key concern. Besides, NATO is set to withdraw most of its contingent from Afghanistan by the end of this year, giving way both to fresh risks and new opportunities. These developments are closely watched by the Central Asian states, not least due to their impact on regional security. We met with
Farkhod Tolipov
, PhD in Political Science, Director of Caravan of Knowledge, an Uzbek think tank, to hear his views on Afghanistan’s future, the magnitude of ...
On April 9, 2014 in Washington, DC, RIAC Director General Andrey Kortunov and Program Manager Natalia Evtikhevich met Director of the Central Asia Program Professor Marlène Laruelle, Professor Cory Welt, and Director of the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies Peter Rollberg, all of the
George Washington University
, to discuss future steps in development of ...
On March 26, 2014 the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Russian Foreign Trade Academy of the Ministry for Economic Development held a roundtable "
Trade and Human Development in Central Asian Countries: Russia's Forms and Tools for Expert-Level Assistance
." The participants discussed the advancement of trade in Central Asia in the context of the emerging Eurasian Economic Community, Customs Union and free trade area, as ...
On January 22, 2014 the Russian International Affairs Council held a roundtable “Prospects for Russia-U.S. Cooperation in Central Asia: Joint Assessment” aimed at discussing a draft project of a joint RIAC-George Washington University publication on this issue.
The two countries may boast vast experience of consulting on international relations in many parts of the ...
This week we saw several articles demonstrating serious concern about inevitable cuts in fundings of Central Asian studies in U.S. Let us try to consider it as a positive thing. How this cuts could affect scientists and, what is most important, Central Asian countries?
The first and most obvious result of research funding cuts is change in the composition ...
Working Paper 10 / 2013
This working paper was prepared as part of the Russian International Affairs Council’s project The Situation in Central Asia after the Possible Withdrawal of the Coalition Forces from Afghanistan. It examines aspects of Russia’s participation in rendering assistance to the countries in the region.
The authors identify drivers of instability in Central Asia, review ...
... policy ambitions. Some observers are even sounding the alarm about potential consequences on Russia’s security and influence around its southern borders. We talked to
Mr. Zhao Huasheng
about the implications of such a project for the future of Central Asia and Russia-China relations. Zhao Huasheng, professor and director of the Center for Russia and Central Asia Studies, Fudan University, Shanghai
What are China’s underlying interests for the New Silk Road Project? Is the country primarily ...
In November 2013 the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) published a working paper entitled “Assisting Development in Central Asia: Strategic Horizons of Russian Engagement” that provides information about the potential steps Russia should take in order to respond to the crisis-prone development of the countries in the region. The work that has been done by the RIAC ...
