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SubscribeIREX in Central Asia
January 2003
Central Asia is a region of cultural and political complexity. Today’s Central Asian countries—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan—follow the borders drawn by the Soviets in 1924 under Stalin’s "divide-and-conquer" strategy. Consequently, the region consists of ethnicities and cultures that are divided rather than united by borders. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the regional economy and social and security systems essentially dissolved. However, despite the economic and political challenges facing the region, Central Asian countries have been successful in maintaining their independence. Unfortunately, the region remains threatened by political repression, authoritarianism, and religious extremism.
IREX has conducted exchanges with the Central Asian region since the organization’s founding in 1968 and remains committed to promoting scholarship, education, professional development, and cultural understanding in the region. Today IREX is working on new program models and opening fresh dialogues to promote understanding within the region and between the United States and the countries of Central Asia. Below are some of the ways in which IREX and its funders and partners are working to build civil society in Central Asia.
Encouraging Cultural & Religious Diversity
The US Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) program Cultural and Religious Pluralism in Uzbekistan and the United States promotes dialogue between religious leaders in the United States and Uzbekistan about religious tolerance and diversity and the role of religion in a democratic society. The program brings Uzbekistani religious leaders to the United States to study American approaches to religion, community, and government and engage in scholarly discussion and debate with their American counterparts. The program’s goal is to introduce new models of interfaith communication and religious tolerance to Uzbekistani and US participants and their local communities.
In September IREX president Mark Pomar facilitated a roundtable discussion in IREX's Washington DC office between 10 visiting Islamic leaders from Uzbekistan and American Muslim scholars and leaders. Entitled “Islam in the Family, Education, and Interfaith Communication: Perspectives from the US and Uzbekistan,” the public roundtable presentation came as the culmination of three weeks of travel and internship in several US cities through the Community Connections program, which gives special focus this year to the topic of Islam in a religiously diverse United States.
Promoting Internet Access
ECA’s Internet Access and Training Program (IATP) is helping individuals and organizations in Central Asia take advantage of the power of the Internet by providing Internet access, professional training, and website hosting services through its more than 50 Internet access sites in the region. IATP teaches individuals and organizations, such as journalists, students, and nonprofits, how to use new technologies to communicate, collaborate, research, and develop professionally. IATP training allows individuals, organizations, schools, and businesses to use technology to achieve their goals and increase their interaction with the world at large.
IREX is also administering two programs increase Internet access and computer skills in Uzbekistan, building on IREX's experience with IATP. ECA's School Connectivity for Uzbekistan Program uses technology to train secondary school teachers how to incorporate critical thinking activities and student centered teaching methodologies into classroom lessons. The program maintains a network of 60 computer centers in 6 targeted regions; Andijan, Ferghana, Karshi, Namangan, Nukus, and Termez. The Computers for Schools in Uzbekistan, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), provides computer equipment and training to more than 100 primary and secondary schools in Uzbekistan.
Supporting Independent Media
IREX works to support independent media in Central Asia through professional training, collaborative research grants, small production grants, and analysis of regional independent media. For example, through ECA’s Eurasia Professional Exchanges and Training Program for Tajikistan, IREX is educating media professionals on effectively and ethically covering the issue of trafficking in persons. Veteran journalist and IREX regional director for Central Asia Jean MacKenzie and IREX consultant Yevgenia Borisova of the Moscow Times are heading journalist training events in Kyrgyzstan in partnership with the Osh Media Resource Center. Each year IREX researches the sustainability of independent media in the region and publishes its findings in the Media Sustainability Index. And, IREX supports independent media research with media and Internet research grants awarded through the Starr Collaborative Research Grants Program. Also, through the USAID-funded ProMedia program, IREX administers a small grants program for TV stations, networks, and independent producers in 20 countries in Europe and Eurasia, including Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Strengthening Local Organizations
IREX works to promote open, democratic societies in Central Asia by strengthening the third sector—nonprofit organizations, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and community groups. For example, the Civil Society Support Initiative (CSSI), sponsored by USAID and implemented by IREX in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, is a three-year program that strengthens local civic organizations and improves the legal environment for civil society in Central Asia. Through NGO management and administration training, advocacy grants, policy forums, and legal support, IREX works to transform the local NGO landscape in Central Asia from a collection of discrete organizations to a credible sector that responds to community needs and delivers sustainable services.
Providing Research Support & Assistance
When the USSR invaded Afghanistan in 1979, politicians in the United States turned to regional experts in order to better understand the local situation. Of the few Americans who had knowledge of Central Asian languages and direct experience in the region, most were IREX alumni. Today, IREX continues to support the research efforts of Americans interested in the Central Asian region through the programs it administers with assistance from its funders and through the IREX Scholar Support Fund. Assisting Americans in their efforts to achieve language proficiency in Central Asian languages, research cultural and political issues affecting the region, and gain firsthand experience of the area builds our national capacity for regional expertise, diplomacy, and cultural understanding.
Conducting Academic and Professional Exchanges
Academic and professional exchanges support democracy and the development of civil society by advancing knowledge and supporting the free exchange of ideas. Exchanges that bring Central Asian students, businesspeople, and community leaders to the United States give Central Asians an opportunity to experience and study American society firsthand. The type of personal exchanges that occur as a result of these programs would most likely not exist otherwise. Moreover, the personal contacts established between the Americans and Central Asians during the exchange program help to build a healthy relationship between the United States and participating Central Asian countries.
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