Topic: Politics and International Relations in Central Asia
Date and venue: Friday June 5th, 2015, Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Conference Organizers: Seyit Avcu (Ph.D., Assistant Professor of International Relations, Manas University) and Jon Mahoney (Ph.D., Associate Professor, Philosophy, Kansas State University, Fulbright Scholar 2014-15, Kyrgyz Republic)
Description: The focus will be on contemporary politics and international relations, although papers that offer an historical perspective on contemporary political problems and challenges in Central Asia will also be considered. There is no registration fee and participants will be provided with lunch and dinner. For those traveling to Bishkek, up to 10 speakers small will be provided with one night’s lodging in Bishkek. The conference organizers are especially interested in proposals that address topics such as:
—-The prospects for democracy in Central Asia
—Religious freedom and state religion policies
—The status of ethnic minorities
—Border conflicts and their impact on regional politics
—The political and economic impact of the Eurasian Customs Union on Central Asia
—The influence of global powers (e.g. Russia, China, Turkey, and the U.S.) on Central Asian states
—The geopolitical significance of resource conflicts (e.g. over water resources) in Central Asia
—Terrorism and the prospects for political instability in Central Asia
—The prospect of succession crises in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan
Interested participants should submit a short proposal (approximately 150 words) including title and author information (email address and institutional affiliation) as an email attachment in either Word or PDF no later than Monday May 4th, 2015. Proposals should be submitted to both Jon Mahoney (jmahoney@ksu.edu) and Seyit Avcu (avcuseyit@hotmail.com).
