U.S. Central Asia policy has room to improve, but the Trump administration is steering things on the right track.

S. Frederick Starr and Svante Cornell
The Hill, Febuary 18, 2020

This month, the Trump administration released its strategy for Central Asia. This marks the first time in more than two decades that the United States has come up with a serious approach to a region where vast economic, geopolitical, and civilizational stakes are at issue. It follows visits by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, the first trip to the region by someone in that role in half a decade.

Long seen as a stagnant land of Soviet holdovers, Central Asia has been undergoing a dramatic transition led by its two most powerful countries, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Leaders in both countries have plunged into meaningful domestic reforms that are now focused on expanding citizen rights, governmental responsiveness, and the rule of law. They have also taken some important steps toward establishing their own structures for regional cooperation, a process that could result in a kind of Central Asian version of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

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Taking Stock Invitation: One Year After Uzbekistan Pledges Reforms

The Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, alongside of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, and IREX are hosting a panel discussion to mark the first anniversary of the new era of cooperation between Washington and Tashkent. One year after Uzbek President Mirziyoyev’s historic May 2018 visit to the United States, a panel of experts will discuss what changes are underway in the strategic Central Asia nation. Topics of discussion include U.S.-Uzbek cooperation, new international activities, and reformation in the economic and media sectors of the country.

Featuring: 

His Excellency Javlon Vakhabov, Uzbek Ambassador to the United States

Lisa Curtis, Deputy Assistant to the President and National Security Council Senior Director for South and Central Asia

Dr. Frederick Starr, Chairman, Central Asia -Caucasus Institute and Silk Road Studies Program

Navbahor Imamova, Journalist, VOA Uzbek Service

Moderator: Alicia Phillips Mandaville IREX Vice President for Global Programs

Where: IREX, Suite 600, 1275 K St. NW, Washington, DC

When: Thursday, May 30, 2019 from 2:00 - 3:30 pm, 

RSVP: Click HERE to register

The Xinjiang Crisis and the Rest of Central Asia: Impacts and Responses

The Uyghurs of Xinjiang constitute one of the oldest Turkic peoples and the first to be urbanized and to develop a written language and rich intellectual life. As such they are, in a historic and cultural sense, part of Central Asia. The forum discussed how the ongoing crisis in Xinjiang affected Uyghurs, the Central Asian countries, and how Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan responded?

Speakers: 

Sean R. Roberts, Associate Professor, George Washington University 

James Clad, Director, Asian Security Program, American Foreign Policy Council

Ilshat Hassan, President, Uyghur American Association

Moderator: S. Frederick Starr, Chairman, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute at AFPC

Where: Middle East Institute: 1319 18th Street NW, 20036

When: Tuesday, March 26, 2019 from 12:00 - 2:00 pm, 

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 Reform in Uzbekistan: A Turning Point for Central Asia and Beyond

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Speakers: 

S. Frederick Starr, Chairman, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute; co-editor, Uzbekistan’s New Face

H.E. Mr. Sherzod Shermatov, Minister of Public Education, Uzbekistan

Mr. Eldor Aripov, Director, Center for International Relations Studies, Tashkent

Moderator: Svante E. Cornell, Director, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute; co-editor, Uzbekistan’s New Face

Where: The National Press Club 529, 14th Street NW, 13th Floor, Washington, DC 20045

When: Thursday, Octobeer 4, 2018 from 3:00 - 4:45 pm