Third Group of CACI Fellows Completes Program in Washington, DC.

The third group of seven fellows completed a six week program of orientation, high level meetings and research in Washington, DC from October 4 to November 15, 2009. The group included Mr. Vahe Grigoryan (Armenia), a practicing lawyer; Ms. Gunay Rahimova (Azerbaijan), a Third Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan; Mr. Beka Aladashvili (Georgia), the Head of the Defense Policy Division in the Defense Policy and Planning Department at the Ministry of Defense of Georgia; Mr. Irakli Laitadze (Georgia), the Deputy Chief Financial Officer (Deputy CFO) of GMT Group; Ms. Aizhan Zhantayeva (Kazakhstan), a Managing Director in the Corporation for Export Development and Promotion of the Ministry of Trade and Economy of Kazakhstan; Dr. Nafisa Abdullayeva (Uzbekistan), a partner at Lex Mark Advocate Law Firm, and Mr. Murod Ismailov (Uzbekistan), the Dean at the School of International Relations and Graduate Studies at the University of World Economy and Diplomacy in Tashkent. Click here for detailed information.

Fellows with Mr. Donald Rumsfeld, Former Secretary of Defense and Chairman of
the Rumsfeld Foundation which is sponsoring the fellowship program

The group had an intensive schedule of high level group meetings with representatives of the U.S. Administration, the U.S. Congress, business community, media, think tanks, universities, NGOs, and advocacy organizations.

Fellows with Senator Richard Lugar

For the first time in the program, the group had the opportunity to travel to Chicago for high-level meetings in the Mayor’s office, the University of Chicago and local foundations which offered them a view of the United States beyond Washington's beltway.

Fellows with Professor Gary Becker of University of Chicago, Nobel Prize winner in economics

In addition, each fellow had an individual program designed to accommodate their professional interests. At the end of the program, the fellows made presentations at the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute Forum discussing “Recommendations for the New U.S. Administration on Policy toward Central Asia and the Caucasus”.

Fellows with Professor Francis Fukuyama, Director of the International Development Program at SAIS

Murod Ismailov: "Intimate and vibrant. This is the only program I have ever seen that reveals the full spectrum of contemporary United States politics, society and culture.”

Beka Aladashvili: “The Rumsfeld fellowship program is tailored for individuals who want to understand how Washington works. It offers tremendous opportunities for the fellows to be engaged in the Washington policymaking community, which brings extensive knowledge that can be implemented back home."

Fellows with Professor John Mearsheimer, Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor
and Co-director of the International Security Policy Program at the University of Chicago

Aizhan Zhantayeva: “This program was a life changing experience for me. Not only it fundamentally changed by perceptions about American politics and culture but these six weeks gave me the opportunity to gain a broader and deeper understanding of the problems and achievements of countries of the Central Asia-Caucasus region and impact they have on my own country. Thanks to this program, I now have greater confidence in choosing a career path that will bring more value to my country. These undoubtedly were the best six weeks in my life.”

Nafisa Abdullayeva: “Meeting with prominent political figures and world class scholars and experts such as Senator Lugar, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Francis Fukuyama, Gary Becker and many others brought an even deeper knowledge of Washington policy and ideas that I could not have found outside of this program. These six weeks passed very quickly, and my expectations were greatly exceeded.”

The next group of fellows will visit Washington, DC from March 28 to May 9, 2010. The winners of the Fellowship Program will be announced in mid-February.

For information on the Spring 2009 Program, please click here.

For information on the 2008 Fellows, please click here.