Central Asia-Caucasus Institute (CACI)
@caci-silkroad.bsky.social
Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program Joint Center. Research on Central Asia, Caucasus, and Turkey (AFPC and ISDP Sweden).
https://www.silkroadstudies.org/
https://www.silkroadstudies.org/
Dr. Frederick Starr explains the gaps in our knowledge about the Islamic Golden Age and how it can illuminate our understanding of modern Muslim society.
Transcribed from a lecture delivered at Yale University:
Transcribed from a lecture delivered at Yale University:
What Islam’s Golden Age Ignored and What It Means Today
By S. Frederick Starr
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December 4, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Dr. Frederick Starr explains the gaps in our knowledge about the Islamic Golden Age and how it can illuminate our understanding of modern Muslim society.
Transcribed from a lecture delivered at Yale University:
Transcribed from a lecture delivered at Yale University:
Another "Great Game" has begun in Central Asia: China, Russia, and the U.S. are vying for position in the critical realm of rare-earth mining.
China is the frontrunner, but recent C5 talks at the White House hope to change the balance of power.
Read Here:
China is the frontrunner, but recent C5 talks at the White House hope to change the balance of power.
Read Here:
Competition Intensifies Over Central Asia's Rare Earth Elements
By Syed Fazl-e-Haider
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December 3, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Another "Great Game" has begun in Central Asia: China, Russia, and the U.S. are vying for position in the critical realm of rare-earth mining.
China is the frontrunner, but recent C5 talks at the White House hope to change the balance of power.
Read Here:
China is the frontrunner, but recent C5 talks at the White House hope to change the balance of power.
Read Here:
Pakistan and India have both held significant talks with the Taliban government, showing how the Central Asain region can be a connection in regional conflicts.
The Indo-Pakistani-Afghan Connection and Its Implications for Central Asia by Stephen Blank will be available to read on November 21st
The Indo-Pakistani-Afghan Connection and Its Implications for Central Asia by Stephen Blank will be available to read on November 21st
November 20, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Pakistan and India have both held significant talks with the Taliban government, showing how the Central Asain region can be a connection in regional conflicts.
The Indo-Pakistani-Afghan Connection and Its Implications for Central Asia by Stephen Blank will be available to read on November 21st
The Indo-Pakistani-Afghan Connection and Its Implications for Central Asia by Stephen Blank will be available to read on November 21st
From the 1990s to the early 2020s, Kazakhstan-Russia relations had been stable.
The war in Ukraine flipped everything on its head. That raises the question, where are these areas of dispute, and what does it mean for the future of the region?
Read Here:
The war in Ukraine flipped everything on its head. That raises the question, where are these areas of dispute, and what does it mean for the future of the region?
Read Here:
Kazakhstan-Russia Relations After 2022: Sources of Contention, Points of Pressure
By Nargis Kassenova
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November 19, 2025 at 7:00 PM
From the 1990s to the early 2020s, Kazakhstan-Russia relations had been stable.
The war in Ukraine flipped everything on its head. That raises the question, where are these areas of dispute, and what does it mean for the future of the region?
Read Here:
The war in Ukraine flipped everything on its head. That raises the question, where are these areas of dispute, and what does it mean for the future of the region?
Read Here:
The rise of the Taliban once again in Afghanistan has sent the Central Asian countries into contemplation on the future of security. Their latest summit calls for impressive reforms to how the CIS nations interact with the rest of the world.
Read Here:
Read Here:
The CIS Summit and Central Asia's Afghan Challenge
By Aleksandar Ivanović
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November 18, 2025 at 4:02 PM
The rise of the Taliban once again in Afghanistan has sent the Central Asian countries into contemplation on the future of security. Their latest summit calls for impressive reforms to how the CIS nations interact with the rest of the world.
Read Here:
Read Here:
Is playing all sides the best strategy when it comes to developing nations? Azerbaijan has decided to split its interests between Moscow and Washington. How can these countries continue to share influence with each other without conflict?
Read Here:
Read Here:
Azerbaijan Pushes Ahead With Its Balancing Strategy
By Emil Avdaliani
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November 17, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Is playing all sides the best strategy when it comes to developing nations? Azerbaijan has decided to split its interests between Moscow and Washington. How can these countries continue to share influence with each other without conflict?
Read Here:
Read Here:
Russia has begun the normalization process with Armenia, ending over two years of strained tensions.
What will these new talks lead to?
Read Here:
What will these new talks lead to?
Read Here:
Russia Reengages with Armenia (and Azerbaijan)
By Eduard Abrahamyan
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November 14, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Russia has begun the normalization process with Armenia, ending over two years of strained tensions.
What will these new talks lead to?
Read Here:
What will these new talks lead to?
Read Here:
NOVEMBER 20th, 2025 9AM EST. 6PM Tbilisi: Untying the Georgian Knot Webinar
Western policymakers now face a strategic decision: What is more important—a cooperative Georgia or a reform-oriented Georgia?
Western policymakers now face a strategic decision: What is more important—a cooperative Georgia or a reform-oriented Georgia?
November 13, 2025 at 4:05 PM
NOVEMBER 20th, 2025 9AM EST. 6PM Tbilisi: Untying the Georgian Knot Webinar
Western policymakers now face a strategic decision: What is more important—a cooperative Georgia or a reform-oriented Georgia?
Western policymakers now face a strategic decision: What is more important—a cooperative Georgia or a reform-oriented Georgia?
The world has many occupied or disputed territories during times of conflict. This raises the question: what different policies do nations impose upon these zones, and how do they impact their future?
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Read Here:
Occupied Elsewhere: Selective Policies on Occupations
By Svante Cornell, Brenda Shaffer
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November 6, 2025 at 5:00 PM
The world has many occupied or disputed territories during times of conflict. This raises the question: what different policies do nations impose upon these zones, and how do they impact their future?
Read Here:
Read Here:
Spotlight on a Past Silk Road Paper: Stuck between the West and the Islamic World, scholars have viewed Turkey as a clash between these cultures. "Why Turkey is Authoritarian" highlights a new perspective challenging this narrative.
Read:
Read:
Why Turkey is Authoritarian: RIGHT-WING RULE FROM ATATÜRK TO ERDOGAN
By Halil Karaveli
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November 5, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Spotlight on a Past Silk Road Paper: Stuck between the West and the Islamic World, scholars have viewed Turkey as a clash between these cultures. "Why Turkey is Authoritarian" highlights a new perspective challenging this narrative.
Read:
Read:
Political Islam might be becoming a thing of the past in the Muslim world. As Central Asia moves towards more secular governance, what does this mean for its developing states?
Read:
Read:
The New Secularism in the Muslim World: Religion and the State in Central Asia and Azerbaijan
By Svante E. Cornell
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November 4, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Political Islam might be becoming a thing of the past in the Muslim world. As Central Asia moves towards more secular governance, what does this mean for its developing states?
Read:
Read:
🚨 Forum Alert: Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic Future International Forum VIII – “The ‘Three Seas Initiative’ Paradigm: Examining the Possibilities from Energy to Security” 🚨
Join CUSUR, AFPC, and the Texas A&M Bush School as they host leading experts to examine the “Three Seas Initiative."
Join CUSUR, AFPC, and the Texas A&M Bush School as they host leading experts to examine the “Three Seas Initiative."
October 31, 2025 at 8:45 PM
🚨 Forum Alert: Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic Future International Forum VIII – “The ‘Three Seas Initiative’ Paradigm: Examining the Possibilities from Energy to Security” 🚨
Join CUSUR, AFPC, and the Texas A&M Bush School as they host leading experts to examine the “Three Seas Initiative."
Join CUSUR, AFPC, and the Texas A&M Bush School as they host leading experts to examine the “Three Seas Initiative."
Kazakhstan and the U.S. have recently made great strides towards collaboration and development. This has not always been the case.
This spotlight article examines the over three decades of relations between the nations and why it still matters today.
This spotlight article examines the over three decades of relations between the nations and why it still matters today.
Strong and Unique: Three Decades of U.S.-Kazakhstan Partnership
By S. Frederick Starr and Svante E. Cornell
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October 30, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Kazakhstan and the U.S. have recently made great strides towards collaboration and development. This has not always been the case.
This spotlight article examines the over three decades of relations between the nations and why it still matters today.
This spotlight article examines the over three decades of relations between the nations and why it still matters today.
Watch CACI's latest webinar Small States in Russia's Neighborhood to learn more from Dr. Eduard Abrahamyan about how small states in the Caucasus navigate intense great-power competition, particularly amid Russia’s resurgence as a regional power.
CACI Webinar: Small States in Russia's Neighborhood
This webinar introduced Dr. Eduard Abrahamyan’s new book Small States, Russia and the West: Polarity, Constellations and Heterogeneity in the Geopolitics of the Caucasus. The book explores how small…
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October 29, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Watch CACI's latest webinar Small States in Russia's Neighborhood to learn more from Dr. Eduard Abrahamyan about how small states in the Caucasus navigate intense great-power competition, particularly amid Russia’s resurgence as a regional power.
The TRIPP agreement between the United States, Armenia, and Azerbaijan has opened up possibilities of trade through a unpresidented corridor in the countries. Will Washington's dependence on Turkey be enough to keep the agreement alive?
Read:
Read:
With the TRIPP Turkey is Set to Benefit Most in the South Caucasus
By Emil Avdaliani
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October 29, 2025 at 3:05 PM
The TRIPP agreement between the United States, Armenia, and Azerbaijan has opened up possibilities of trade through a unpresidented corridor in the countries. Will Washington's dependence on Turkey be enough to keep the agreement alive?
Read:
Read:
Israel has publically announced that the mass killings of Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks in the early 20th century Ottoman Empire was a genocide. Vali Kaleji writes on what this means for the future of relations for the South Caucuses and the Levant.
Netanyahu's Statement on the Armenian Genocide and Its Implications for the South Caucasus and the Levant
By Vali Kaleji
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October 28, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Israel has publically announced that the mass killings of Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks in the early 20th century Ottoman Empire was a genocide. Vali Kaleji writes on what this means for the future of relations for the South Caucuses and the Levant.
Since the Lapis Lazuli agreement in 2017 changes have rocked the greater Central Asian region. In these agreements players are constructing ways to restore the anchient Silk Road pathway. What does this mean for Uzbekistan and why does it matter for the global order?
Read:
Read:
Sign in to Central Asia-Caucasus Institute's Substack
Sign in to Central Asia-Caucasus Institute's Substack
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October 20, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Since the Lapis Lazuli agreement in 2017 changes have rocked the greater Central Asian region. In these agreements players are constructing ways to restore the anchient Silk Road pathway. What does this mean for Uzbekistan and why does it matter for the global order?
Read:
Read:
Kazahstan aims to break away from the pack and commit to social progress after years of stagnation. Social programs in education, healthcare, and lawfare hope to redirect the country in a new path.
Read:
Read:
Social Reforms in Kazakhstan
By Albert Barro and Svante E. Cornell
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October 16, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Kazahstan aims to break away from the pack and commit to social progress after years of stagnation. Social programs in education, healthcare, and lawfare hope to redirect the country in a new path.
Read:
Read:
Change is a necessity for Georgia to survive in the modern landscape. How will they break the shackles that Russia has ensnared for them and move towards cooperations with the West?
Read:
Read:
Armenia’s Strategic Dilemma: Geography versus History
By Laura Linderman, Alexander John Paul Lutz, and Eleanor Pugh
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October 15, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Change is a necessity for Georgia to survive in the modern landscape. How will they break the shackles that Russia has ensnared for them and move towards cooperations with the West?
Read:
Read:
Afghanistan's convergence of momentary stability has allowed for the world to take shop in developing relations with the new regime.
Founding chairman of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, Frederick Star, writes how the United States and the world has decided to partake in deplomacy.
Founding chairman of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, Frederick Star, writes how the United States and the world has decided to partake in deplomacy.
America’s Options in Afghanistan – The Jerusalem Strategic Tribune
Essays – Four years have passed since the United States withdrew in chaos from Afghanistan, abandoning important projects, leaving behind billions of dollars of
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October 10, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Afghanistan's convergence of momentary stability has allowed for the world to take shop in developing relations with the new regime.
Founding chairman of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, Frederick Star, writes how the United States and the world has decided to partake in deplomacy.
Founding chairman of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, Frederick Star, writes how the United States and the world has decided to partake in deplomacy.
Keeping the faith?
Armenia has launched large scale crackdowns on its religious leadership only comparable to the Soviet years. Why is Armenia putting itself in a domestic showdown with the Catholic Church and what does it mean for regional stability?
Read:
Armenia has launched large scale crackdowns on its religious leadership only comparable to the Soviet years. Why is Armenia putting itself in a domestic showdown with the Catholic Church and what does it mean for regional stability?
Read:
Armenia’s Deepening Conflict between State and Church
By Anna Vardanyan
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October 9, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Keeping the faith?
Armenia has launched large scale crackdowns on its religious leadership only comparable to the Soviet years. Why is Armenia putting itself in a domestic showdown with the Catholic Church and what does it mean for regional stability?
Read:
Armenia has launched large scale crackdowns on its religious leadership only comparable to the Soviet years. Why is Armenia putting itself in a domestic showdown with the Catholic Church and what does it mean for regional stability?
Read:
The world wants in on the Central Asia sweepstakes and the EU is inching closer to making that a reality.
The Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (ECPA) will be the next step in the EU's collaboration in Tajikistan. What does it mean for Europe and the rest of the world?
The Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (ECPA) will be the next step in the EU's collaboration in Tajikistan. What does it mean for Europe and the rest of the world?
The EU Expands Its Ties With Tajikistan
By Emil Avdaliani
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October 8, 2025 at 3:00 PM
The world wants in on the Central Asia sweepstakes and the EU is inching closer to making that a reality.
The Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (ECPA) will be the next step in the EU's collaboration in Tajikistan. What does it mean for Europe and the rest of the world?
The Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (ECPA) will be the next step in the EU's collaboration in Tajikistan. What does it mean for Europe and the rest of the world?
What do young people in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Afghanistan think about the world around them?
New Silk Road Paper edited by Dr. S. Frederick Starr examines generational change across the CAMCA region.
🔗 buff.ly/tpr8Kxr
#CentralAsia #Caucasus #Youth #SilkRoadPapers #CACI
New Silk Road Paper edited by Dr. S. Frederick Starr examines generational change across the CAMCA region.
🔗 buff.ly/tpr8Kxr
#CentralAsia #Caucasus #Youth #SilkRoadPapers #CACI
Worldviews of Youth: Central Asia, Mongolia, the Caucasus, and Afghanistan
S. Frederick Starr ed.
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October 7, 2025 at 3:02 PM
What do young people in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Afghanistan think about the world around them?
New Silk Road Paper edited by Dr. S. Frederick Starr examines generational change across the CAMCA region.
🔗 buff.ly/tpr8Kxr
#CentralAsia #Caucasus #Youth #SilkRoadPapers #CACI
New Silk Road Paper edited by Dr. S. Frederick Starr examines generational change across the CAMCA region.
🔗 buff.ly/tpr8Kxr
#CentralAsia #Caucasus #Youth #SilkRoadPapers #CACI
Can Nordic lessons in cooperation guide Central Asia’s next phase of integration?
CACI’s Svante Cornell and John Engvall explore the promise of a C5+5 Nordic–Central Asia dialogue and what both regions can learn from each other.
Full article:
CACI’s Svante Cornell and John Engvall explore the promise of a C5+5 Nordic–Central Asia dialogue and what both regions can learn from each other.
Full article:
How the Nordic Countries Can Engage Central Asia
By Svante E. Cornell and John Engvall
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October 6, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Can Nordic lessons in cooperation guide Central Asia’s next phase of integration?
CACI’s Svante Cornell and John Engvall explore the promise of a C5+5 Nordic–Central Asia dialogue and what both regions can learn from each other.
Full article:
CACI’s Svante Cornell and John Engvall explore the promise of a C5+5 Nordic–Central Asia dialogue and what both regions can learn from each other.
Full article:
Yesterday, CACI Chairman S. Frederick Starr testified before the Senate Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation
The topic of the hearing was “The Future of U.S. Black Sea Strategy”
Full testimony:
The topic of the hearing was “The Future of U.S. Black Sea Strategy”
Full testimony:
S. Frederick Starr Testimony from Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing on “The Future of U.S. Black Sea Strategy”
On Tuesday, September 30th, 2025, S.
tinyurl.com
October 3, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Yesterday, CACI Chairman S. Frederick Starr testified before the Senate Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation
The topic of the hearing was “The Future of U.S. Black Sea Strategy”
Full testimony:
The topic of the hearing was “The Future of U.S. Black Sea Strategy”
Full testimony: