Central Asia in a Reconnecting Eurasia: U.S. Policy Interests and Recommendations

In January 2014 the CSIS Russia and Eurasia Program launched the Eurasia Initiative. The first fruits of this project include a series of reports on Central Asia in a Reconnecting Eurasia. The decision to initiate these activities with Central Asia stemmed from a concern that the drawdown of U.S. and allied troops from Afghanistan would augur declining U.S. interest. For U.S. policymakers, turning away from Central Asia now would be a serious miscalculation. The five states of Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) are located at the heart of the Eurasian landmass, in close proximity to four of Washington’s biggest foreign policy challenges: Afghanistan/Pakistan, Iran, Russia, and China. For that reason alone, the United States has a strong interest in developing economic and security ties with the states of Central Asia, and doing so in a way that is no longer driven by the exigencies of the war in Afghanistan, but is responsive to the needs and interests of the region itself, as well as enduring U.S. interests.

Opening remarks by:
John Hamre
President and CEO, Pritzker Chair
CSIS

Keynote speech by:

Nisha Biswal
Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs
U.S. Department of State

Panel discussion by:

William Courtney
Adjunct Senior Fellow, RAND Corporation

Edward Chow
Senior Fellow, CSIS Energy and National Security Program

Andrew Kuchins
Director and Senior Fellow
CSIS Russia and Eurasia Program

Michael Lally
Executive Deputy Assistant Secretary for Europe, Middle East and Africa
U.S. Department of Commerce

Martha Olcott
Senior Non-resident Association
CSIS Russia and Eurasia Program

Moderated by:

Jeffrey Mankoff
Deputy Director and Fellow
CSIS Russia and Eurasia Program