2007 Regional Symposium Grants: The Former Soviet Republics of Central Asia and the Contemporary Silk Road

OVERVIEW

On April 26 -28, 2007, IREX, in collaboration with the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (WWC), hosted the Seventh Annual Regional Policy Symposium at the Historic District Holiday Inn and Suites in Alexandria, VA. The Symposium, “The Former Soviet Republics of Central Asia and the Contemporary Silk Road,” provided senior and junior scholars, as well as members from the policy community, with the opportunity to come together to discuss a variety of political, security, economic, historical, public health, and cultural topics related to the former Soviet republics of Central Asia and their relationships with countries along the contemporary Silk Road. Countries of focus included: Afghanistan, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

Symposium participants included eleven junior scholars, five senior scholars, and members of IREX and WWC staff. Junior scholars were invited to apply for grants to present research papers at the two-day symposium, receive feedback from participating senior scholars and colleagues, and engage in US policy development discussions. Junior scholars were chosen based upon a national competition in which they were required to demonstrate a commitment to continued study, research, and work on the region.

SYMPOSIUM PARTICIPANTS

The five SENIOR SCHOLAR PARTICIPANTS included:

* David Abramson, Analyst on Central Asia, Office of Analysis for Russia and Eurasia, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, US Department of State

* Jamsheed Choksy, Professor, Department of Central Eurasian Studies, Indiana University - Bloomington

* Roger Kangas, Professor of Central Asian Studies, George C. Marshall Center

* Margaret Paxson, Senior Associate, Kennan Institute, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

* Steven Sabol, Associate Professor, Department of History, University of North Carolina - Charlotte

The eleven JUNIOR SCHOLAR PARTICIPANTS included:

* Sean Armstrong, Graduate Student, School of Public Health, University of Michigan

* Jennifer Barrett, PhD Candidate, Department of Sociology, University of Texas - Austin

* Jennifer Bulkeley, PhD Candidate, Department of Public Policy, Harvard University

* Helen Faller, Board Vice-President, Central Asian Cultural Exchange

* Brian Grodsky, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Maryland - Baltimore

* Matthew Light, Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Massachusetts – Amherst

* David Montgomery, Visiting Fellow, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame

* Blake Puckett, PhD Candidate, School of Law, Indiana University – Bloomington

* Sean Roberts, Post-Doctoral Fellow in Central Asian Affairs, Center for Eurasian, Russian, and Eastern European Studies, Georgetown University

* Regine Spector, PhD Candidate, Department of Political Science, University of California – Berkeley

* Eren Tasar, Graduate Student, Department of History, Harvard University

EVENT SUMMARY

The event commenced with a dinner at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC, on April 26, 2007. IREX President Mark Pomar gave welcoming remarks and was followed by a keynote address by Burak Akcapar, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of the Republic of Turkey. Akcapar briefly discussed Turkey’s foreign policy strategy for the region, specifically with respect to Central Asia, Russia, and Iran. The dinner provided scholars with the opportunity to network with one another prior to departing that evening for the hotel to begin two full days of presentations and peer reviews of research. Over the course of the two day event, each junior scholar delivered a 20 minute presentation on their research followed by 40 minutes of discussion which was led and moderated by one of the five senior scholars at the event.

Presentation topics included:

• Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, OPIC, and the Retreat from Transparency
• Buying Revolutions? US Elite Understandings of Post-Soviet Democratic 'Revolution' in Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine and Georgia
• The Role of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Chinese Foreign Policy and Strategy Toward Central Asia
• Patron-Client Politics and Presidential Succession in Central Asia
• State of the Bazaar: Policy and Politics Surrounding Central Asian Marketplaces
• Kitchen Talk: Silk Road Women on History, Society, and Dumplings
• To Repress, to Regulate, or to Ignore: The Position of Central Asian Guest-workers in Three Russian Regions
• Understanding Alcoholism in Rural Mongolia
• Effects of Son Preference on Contraception, Abortion, and Fertility in Central Asia: The Case of Uzbekistan
• Muslim Life in Central Asia, 1943-1985
• The Acquisition of Religious Knowledge and Variation in Practice in the Kyrgyz Republic
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  BRIEFING

  On April 30, 2007, the symposium senior scholars delivered a briefing at the US Department of State on the results of the symposium. In addition to providing an overview of the research currently being conducted in the region, they discussed the areas in need of additional research, and presented recommendations for the policy-making community.