Research

ENC Analysis

Russia’s War in Ukraine Shifts Central Asia’s Connectivity

The European Neighbourhood Council (ENC) released its new analysis on “Russia’s War in Ukraine Shifts Central Asia’s Connectivity”.

This article is written by our external advisor Bruce Pannier, a longtime journalist and Central Asia expert.

Since the mid-19th century, Central Asia was either part of the Tsarist Russian Empire or the Soviet Union, and even after the USSR fell apart in late 1991, Russia continued to have a significant impact on the region. In this ENC Analysis, the author explains how Russia’s war in Ukraine has pushed Central Asian countries to put more effort into developing alternative trade routes, the region’s changing relationship with its former colonizer and the possible opportunities presented by the new connectivity currently being built.

The full analysis is available here.

Armenia’s Populist Foreign Policy-Making Process Between 2018 and 2020: Navigating Volonté Générale and War

The European Neighbourhood Council (ENC) released its new analysis titled “Armenia’s Populist Foreign Policy-Making Process Between 2018 and 2020: Navigating Volonté Générale and War”.

The paper is co-authored by Dr. Vahram Ter-Matevosyan, ENC Academic Council Member, Associate Researcher and Associate Professor at Rabdan Academy, and Dr. Hovhannes Nikoghosyan, Adjunct Lecturer at American University of Armenia.

In this ENC Analysis, the authors discuss the leadership of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and other government institutions, such as the National Security Council,  in the foreign policy-making process of Armenia between 2018 and 2020, around the question of “How has the foreign policy-making style of a populist leader in Armenia affected the Foreign Policy Decision Making (FPDM) process, and what have been ‘the resultants’ of those processes?”.

The full analysis is available here.

ENC Analysis – Between Scylla and Charybdis: Kazakhstan Foreign Policy in Pursuit of a New Equilibrium

The European Neighbourhood Council (ENC) released its new analysis on “Between Scylla and Charybdis: Kazakhstan Foreign Policy in Pursuit of a New Equilibrium”.

This article is written by our academic council member Dr. Nargis Kassenova, who is a Senior Fellow and the director of the Program on Central Asia at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University, and Associate Professor at the Department of International Relations and Regional Studies of KIMEP University.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has challenged Kazakhstan’s consistent foreign policy, making it almost impossible to find a balance between the West and Russia. In this ENC Analysis, Dr. Kassenova delves into Kazakhstan’s foreign policy choices between 2018 and 2022, current priorities and dilemmas, the country’s strengths and vulnerabilities, and what key topics and alliances will shape Kazakhstan’s foreign policy in the future.

The full analysis is available here.

ENC Analysis

Academic Life in Central Asia during Covid-19: Challenges and Opportunities for Collaborations

The European Neighbourhood Council (ENC) released its new analysis on “Academic Life in Central Asia during Covid-19: Challenges and Opportunities for Collaborations”.

This article is co-authored by Dr. Chiara Pierobon (DAAD Visiting Professor at the University of Washington and ENC Academic Council Member), Dr. Aliia Maralbaeva (Associate Professor of Law and a Postdoctoral Research Fellow of the Volkswagen Foundation at the Ala-Too International University), Dr. Aijan Sharshenova (Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the OSCE Academy in Bishkek and ENC Academic Council Member) and Dr. Zarina Adambussinova (social anthropologist and a postdoctoral fellow of the Volkswagen Foundation at the American University of Central Asia in Bishkek).

In this ENC Analysis, the authors examine new types of online academic collaborations that have emerged in Central Asia during the Covid-19 pandemic, by focusing on three empirical cases from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan: 1) an informational platform for local medical doctors and workers in Kazakhstan called MedSupportKZ initiative; 2) the GYLYM FACES project for Kazakhstani journalists and scientists working in the country as well as abroad; and 3) an informal platform for Central Asians and Central Asianists known as ‘Central Asian Academic and Analytical Writing Support Community’ on Facebook and Telegram.

The full analysis is available here.

ENC Analysis

Music, Underground Art, and the “Realpolitik” Dilemma

A Vision of the Future?

The European Neighbourhood Council (ENC) released its new analysis on “Music, Underground Art, and the “Realpolitik” Dilemma: A Vision of the Future?“.

This article is written by our academic council member Dr. Leila Alieva, a Richard von Weizsacker Fellow at the Robert Bosch Academy and an affiliate of Russian and East European Studies, Oxford University School of Global and Area Studies.

Art is frequently recognized for being the first form of expression of the nature of global trends, even if they are just emerging. In this ENC Analysis, Dr. Alieva uses the metaphor of music and underground art to illuminate the contradictions and challenges of Western foreign policy and the shifts in contemporary international relations. The author suggests three phenomena—shared responsibility, transcending boundaries, and shifting away from a Euro-centric foreign policy paradigm—instead of realpolitik while analyzing, among other topics, the war in Ukraine, Biden’s policies, environmental issues, and German politics.

The full analysis is available here.

ENC Analysis: Admiration despite Invisibility? How Kazakh Youth Perceive the European Union

The European Neighbourhood Council (ENC) released its new analysis titled “Admiration despite Invisibility? How Kazakh Youth Perceive the European Union”.

This article is written by our academic council member Dr. Zhanibek Arynov who is a postdoctoral researcher at the Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan.

Youth has always been a major pillar of the EU policies toward Central Asian countries, which was re-addressed in the recent European Union strategy for the region. In this publication, Dr. Arynov examines how much awareness Kazakh youth have regarding the EU and its policies by using qualitative data obtained through focus group discussions with students of leading Kazakhstani universities.

The full analysis is available here.

The European Neighbourhood Council (ENC) released its new analysis on “Managing Regional and Global Order after Ukraine: between Ideals and Reality”.

This article is written by our academic council member Dr. Kevork Oskanian who is a lecturer at the University of Exeter and an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham.

Following an overview of the disputes in the Western alliance regarding policies toward Russia in the run-up to the war in Ukraine, this ENC Analysis discusses several issues that could reopen fissures within NATO and the EU in the future such as populist electoral successes, particularly, in China, and the Global South. In light of the war, Dr. Oskanian also addresses what lies ahead and concludes the piece by giving recommendations to Western countries in terms of relations with the wider world.

The full analysis is available here.

ENC Analysis: Mitigation of Climate Change by Environmental Education

The European Neighbourhood Council (ENC) released its new analysis on the “Mitigation of Climate Change by Environmental Education”.

The paper is co-authored by İpek Tekdemir, ENC, and European Parliament advisor, and Maricela Dregan, educational consultant.

In this ENC Analysis, Ms. Tekdemir and Ms. Dregan argue that higher education has the potential to combat climate change. The authors examine the effects and importance of higher education on climate change, the potential of environmental education on the topic, and therefore the link between reducing CO2 emissions and higher education.

The full analysis is available here.

ENC Analysis

ENC Analysis

How the War in Ukraine Affects Countries that Depend on Russia

The European Neighbourhood Council (ENC) released its new analysis entitled “How the War in Ukraine Affects Countries that Depend on Russia.’’

The ENC Analysis is written by our Academic Council Member Dr. Karolina Kluczewska who is a postdoctoral researcher at the Ghent Institute for International and European Studies (GIES) at Ghent University.

In Tajikistan, as in most parts of the world, the news about the war in Ukraine was received with surprise and disbelief. In a country that witnessed violence, displacement and deaths during the civil war that started immediately after Tajikistan’s independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, some people felt sympathetic towards Ukrainian refugees and talked about the victims of war with compassion. Others, who follow Russian media, which are still very popular in the country, sided with the Russian government’s version of events. Yet, initially the war in Ukraine was not a big concern for the majority of people. Very soon, however, it became clear to many people that the war in Ukraine, although having nothing to do with their country, would have a direct impact on their lives. In this publication Dr. Kluczewska discusses how the first weeks of the war in Ukraine affected Tajikistan.

The full analysis is available here.