Forums & Events
CACI FORUM: The American University of Afghanistan: The United States' Premier Legacy on Afghan Soil?
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
CACI FORUM
"Central Asia-Caucasus Institute"
The American University of Afghanistan: The United States' Premier Legacy on Afghan Soil?
What will be the long-term legacy of America’s presence in Afghanistan? Among the most promising candidates is the American University of Afghanistan. Founded in 2006, it already draws students from every province in Afghanistan and is training students (30% of whom are women) for careers in business, government, and civic life. But it is still at the dawn of its life and many uncertainties concerning its future have yet to be resolved. This is a chance to learn about this bold initiative and the potential it holds.
CACI FORUM: The WTO and the Central Asian States
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
CACI Forum
"The Central Asia-Caucasus Institute"
The WTO and the Central Asian States
Long on the outer margins of Central Asians' policy interests, the World Trade Organization has recently become a lively topic there. Kyrgyzstan joined in December, 1998, while Tajikistan's membership will be finalized in just a few weeks, in early March. Meanwhile, Kazakhstan is deep into the accession process and both Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are in contact with WTO regarding their desire to move forward on the steps needed for joining. This Forum reviews the fate of WTO in Central Asia and considers the meaning of present trends for the region's future commercial activities and orientation.The Forum is preceded by a reception and refreshments at 5 p.m. The program will begin promptly at 5:30 p.m. and will conclude at 7:00 p.m.
SILK ROAD FORUM: The EU's Southern Corridor: Is It Happening?
Wednesday, December 12
SILK ROAD FORUM with Matthew Bryza
The EU's Southern Energy Corridor: Is It Happening?
Achieving the diversification of energy supply is a main goal of European energy policy. Work to bring greater amounts of oil, and particularly natural gas, from the Caspian region and the Middle East to Europe has been years in the making, with both accomplishments and disappointments. This year, the agreement on a Trans-Anatolian pipeline was a major step in bringing the vision of a Southern Corridor closer to reality. We need to ask however, what are the real prospects of bringing Caspian, and especially Turkmen gas to Europe? Is the necessary political leadership present to overcome the many challenges that remain?
CACI FORUM: Finish the Job: Jump-start Afghanistan’s Economy
Wednesday, December 11, 2012
CACI Forum
The Central Asia-Caucasus Institute
“Finish the Job: Jump-start Afghanistan’s Economy. A Handbook of Projects”
This Forum will present the conclusions of a team of Afghan and international experts on urgent, immediate steps to save Afghanistan's economy from the looming "post-NATO cliff" and to develop it thereafter in such a way as to foster security and political settlement. The findings are presented in a newly released Silk Road Paper by the two principal authors, S. Frederick Starr and Adib Farhadi. Entitled Finish the Job: Jump-start Afghanistan’s Economy. A Handbook of Projects, this paper differs from most recent studies in that it sidesteps the mass of competing projects that are underway and, instead, identifies those highest-priority initiatives that will lead most directly to actual change. It argues, further, that neither political peace nor internal security can be achieved without economic progress. Copies of the paper will be available at the event.
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Forums and Events
Joint Center Publications
Analysis Niklas Swanström and Leah Oppenheimer, "Invisible Ink: Looking for the Lost Trade between China, Russia, and Central Asia", ISDP Policy Brief, 13 March 2013. 
New Silk Road Paper S. Frederick Starr with Adib Farhadi, Finish the Job: Jump-Start the Afghan Economy, December 2012.
Conference Report Cheryl Benard, Eli Sugarman, and Holly Rehm, Cultural Heritage vs. Mining on the New Silk Road? Finding Technical Solutions for Mes Aynak and Beyond (in cooperation with the Alliance for the Restoration of Cultural Heritage) December 2012.
Article Svante E. Cornell, "The 'Afghanization of the North Caucasus: Causes and Implications of a Changing Conflict", in Stephen Blank, ed., Russia's Homegrown Insurgency: Jihad in the North Caucasus, Carlisle, PA: U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute, 2012.