Central Asia Reconnected: Regional Integration in a Shifting Geopolitical Landscape

Описание: Central Asia is navigating a new era of regional cooperation amid major global upheavals, from the war in Ukraine to China’s rise and Russia’s evolving role. In response, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan are strengthening ties through economic diversification, diplomatic outreach, and a renewed focus on regional identity.

This event will explore the growing momentum toward integration in Central Asia, examining key initiatives like the C5+1 platform, historic border agreements, and efforts to build a shared regional vision rooted in both ancient legacies and modern needs. It will discuss how these countries balance competition with collaboration, manage relations with major powers, and work to turn the idea of a “Central Asian Renaissance” into reality.

SPEAKERS:

Aitolkyn Kourmanova is a specialist in economic policy in Central Asia and has authored several studies on regional economic cooperation, trade, commodity, and financial markets. She holds a bachelor's degree in international relations from Al-Farabi Kazakh National University and an Executive MBA from HEC Paris. As a multimedia and creative editor of multilingual platforms, she has produced and directed analytical content on Eurasia and Central Asia in Russian, English, and Uzbek languages.

Wesley Alexander Hill Ph.D. [ABD] is the Assistant Director & Lead Analyst for the Energy, Growth, and Security Program at the International Tax and Investment Center. He is an expert on grand strategy, geoeconomics, and international relations with a regional specialization in China, Eurasia, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Wesley has unique expertise in Chinese influence in Central Asia and Sino-American energy competition. Wesley has made media appearances and/or been published in Al Jazeera, BBC, Forbes, New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy, Newsmax, Newsweek, The Hill, The National Interest, The Atlantic Council, Voice of America, and more.

Margarita Assenova is a Senior Fellow at the Jamestown Foundation in Washington D.C. and a regular contributor to its flagship publication Eurasia Daily Monitor covering energy security and politics in Europe and Eurasia. She served as the Advanced Area Studies Chair for Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia at the Foreign Service Institute, U.S. Department of State, for over two decades. Assenova is a recipient of the John Knight Professional Journalism Fellowship at Stanford University for her reporting on nationalism in the Balkans. Her books include Eurasian Disunion: Russia’s Vulnerable Flanks with Janusz Bugajski (Jamestown Foundation, 2016), a critical study on Russian subversion in Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia, and Azerbaijan and the New Energy Geopolitics of Southeastern Europe, Ed. (Jamestown Foundation, 2015).

MODERATOR:

Sebastien Peyrouse is Director of the Central Asia Program and Research Professor, IERES, The George Washington University. His main areas of expertise are political systems in Central Asia, economic and social issues, Islam and religious minorities, and Central Asia's geopolitical positioning toward China, India, and South Asia.