Published in Forums & Events

The Blue Dot Network: The US Response to BRI?

The "Blue Dot Network," was formally announced on November 4, 2019 at the Indo-Pacific Business Forum in Bangkok, Thailand on the sidelines of the 35th ASEAN Summit. It is led by the U.S. International Development Finance CorporationJapan Bank for International Cooperation, and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia. The BDN is a global initiative to connect different regional and global transportation hubs to facilitate trade and transit. Some have seen it as Washington's response to China's Belt and Road.

Our guest speaker Dr.  Kaush Arha, Senior Adviser, Strategic Engagement, USAID, and CACI experts discussed this initiative and its potential impact on Central Asia and the Caucasus. 

This discussion was Moderated by: S. Frederick Starr, Chairman, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute.

When: Tuesday, October 27, 2020 at 11:30 am EDT

The event was streamed on the CACI Facebook page and also available on Youtube

 
Published in Forums & Events

Kyrgyzstan - Plenty of Symptoms, but What's the Disease and How to Cure it?  

A joint event of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, the CAMCA Network and Rumsfeld Foundation

Moderator :

- S. Frederick Starr, Chairman, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute

Speakers:   

- Azim Azimov, Founder and CEO of Media Kitchen; Political Commentator; CAMCA Network Member

- Dr. Almazbek BeishenalievMinister of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic; Director of the Regional Institute of Central Asia in Bishkek; CAMCA Network Member

Zarina Chekirbaeva, Candidate for the Parliament of the Kyrgyz Republic from “Bir Bol” political party; Former Executive Director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Kyrgyzstan; CAMCA Network Member

- Dr. Johan Engvall, Researcher, Swedish Defense Research Agency;Senior Research Fellow, the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program

- Talant Sultanov, Founder and the Chair of the Kyrgyz Chapter of the Internet Society; Expert at the Center for Strategic Initiatives in Bishkek; CAMCA Network Member

When: Wednesday, October 21, 2020 at 10am EDT

The event was live-streamed on the CACI Facebook page and is now available on Youtube

 
Published in Forums & Events

America's New Strategy for Central Asia: Is it Happening?

In February 2020, the U.S. released a new Strategy for Central Asia, subtitled “Advancing Sovereignty and Economic Prosperity.” Since then, the world has changed. How is this Strategy being implemented? This Central Asia-Caucasus Institute Forum discussion will focus on the concrete steps to implement America’s Strategy towards Central Asia.

Our guest speaker Lisa Curtis, Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for South and Central Asia at the National Security Council, The White House, discussed initiatives undertaken as part of the new strategy.  

This discussion was Moderated by: S. Frederick Starr, Chairman, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute.

When: Friday, October 16, 2020 at 10am EDT

The event was live-streamed on the CACI Facebook page and is now availabile on Youtube

 
Published in Forums & Events

Developing Capital Market and Regional Funding Institutions in CAMCA: Important Tool for Post Covid-19 Recovery

A joint event of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, the CAMCA Network and Rumsfeld Foundation

The post Covid-19 economic recovery should be driven by private sector development, and the process will require significant funding sources from different private sources. What are the regional potential sources of funding? What government policies could facilitate enhancement of these funding institutions? What are the opportunities for the foreign private funding institutions to join forces with the regional Players?

Moderator:             

Dr. Mamuka Tsereteli, Senior Fellow, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute

Speakers:                 

Baurzhan Bektemirov, Chief Economist, Astana International Financial Center (AIFC) and Member of the Management Board of AIFC Authority        

Atabek Nazirov, Chairman, Capital Market Development Agency of Uzbekistan      

Nika Kurdiani, Deputy CEO, TBC Bank, Georgia 

Abdullo Kurbanov, Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board of Alif Capital, Tajikistan, CAMCA Network Member

Ahmad Yama Bassam, Co-founder of Arden and Bassam Partners LLC and the World Bank International Resident Banking Advisor to Bank-E-Millie Afghan, Afghanistan

Irmuun Demberel, Vice President of the Mongolian Economic Cooperation Confederation, CAMCA Network Member

When: Wednesday, October 14, 2020 at 10am EDT

The event was livestreamed on the CAMCA Regional Forum Facebook Page and is also available down below 

 

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News

  • CACI Chairman S. Frederick Starr comments on "Preparing Now for a Post-Putin Russia"
    Friday, 03 November 2023 18:30

    Whether Russian President Vladimir Putin dies in office, is ousted in a palace coup, or relinquishes power for some unforeseen reason, the United States and its allies would face a radically different Russia with the Kremlin under new management. The geopolitical stakes mean that policymakers would be negligent not to plan for the consequences of a post-Putin Russia. On November 2, 2023, CACI Chairman S. Frederick Starr joined a panel organized by the Hudson Institute’s Center on Europe and Eurasia for a discussion on how US and allied policymakers can prepare for a Russia after Putin.

    Click here to watch on YouTube or scroll down to watch the full panel discussion.

  • Central Asia Diplomats Call for Closer Ties With US
    Monday, 26 June 2023 00:00

    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
    Tuesday, 23 May 2023 00:00

    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.”

    Click to continue reading...

  • CACI director Svante Cornell's interviewed on the 'John Batchelor Show' podcast regarding Turkey's 2023 presidential election
    Friday, 19 May 2023 00:00

    Listen to CACI director Svante Cornell's recent interview on the 'John Batchelor Show' podcast regarding Turkey's 2023 presidential election. Click here!

  • New Article Series on Changing Geopolitics of Central Asia and the Caucasus
    Wednesday, 24 November 2021 11:53

    Eurasia