Research

ENC Analysis: Walking a Fine Line- Kyrgyzstan’s Foreign Policy post-2022

The European Neighbourhood Council (ENC) released a new analysis on how Kyrgyzstan navigates the challenging situation in its foreign policy, in light of the Russia’s war in Ukraine.

This article is written by our Academic Council Member Dr. Aijan Sharshenova, a Research Fellow at the Foreign Policy Centre, UK.

After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Central Asian countries had to swiftly alter their narratives and behaviors regarding foreign policy. In this ENC analysis, the author examines how the Republic of Kyrgyzstan expresses its foreign policy preferences, as a nation that finds itself in a very challenging position by being dependent on both the Russian economy and Western development aid.

The full analysis is available here.

ENC Analysis: The Geopolitics of EU Enlargement- The case of Georgia

The European Neighbourhood Council (ENC) released its new analysis on the EU enlargement as a unique instrument, which gives the EU a comparative advantage amid intensified geopolitical competition over its neighborhood.

This article is written by our external advisor Dr. Natalie Sabadanze, a Cyrus Vance visiting professor in International Relations at Mount Holyoke College, USA.

The European Union has given an exceptionally swift response to Russia’s war against Ukraine by imposing sanctions, reviving the transatlantic partnership, taking steps to ensure its energy independence, and offering Ukraine and Moldova candidate status, and Georgia a chance at the same. In this ENC analysis, the author examines how the EU can benefit from enlargement for its own geopolitical gain without sacrificing its fundamental values and the transformative agenda for the candidate states and offers an analysis of the present difficulties facing both the EU and Georgia as well as suggestions for how to overcome them.

The full analysis is available here.

The Return of Central Asia: The EU’s engagement with a region threatened by the Dragonbear

The European Neighbourhood Council released a new study titled “The Return of Central Asia: the EU’s engagement with a region threatened by the Dragonbear” together with Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) | Multinational Development Policy Dialogue (MDPD) Brussels.

This report is written by Samuel Doveri Vesterbye (ENC Managing Director), Farkhod Aminjonov (Assistant Professor at National Defence College), Kemel Toktomushev (Senior Research Fellow at UCA’s Institute of Public Policy and Administration and Assistant Professor of Political Science at UCA’s School of Arts and Sciences) and edited by Janne Leino (KAS Programme Manager Foreign and Security Policy and Multilateral Issues). The foreword of the report is written by Michael Gahler, Member of the European Parliament, Coordinator for Foreign Affairs, European People´s Party Group in the European Parliament.

A renewed interest in Central Asia has emerged as a result of the Russian aggression in Ukraine, Europe’s reliance on fossil resources, and trade routes to Asia. Central Asia has been regarded as a secondary priority in European Union (EU) policy circles. Despite the region’s geographic location between Asia and Europe, limited EU funding has been allocated towards the five Central Asian Republics. This paradigm has changed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Today, Central Asia is capable of providing the EU with much-needed energy diversification, rare earths, new markets and security partnerships. This study looks at how the European Union and its Member states should engage with the region, where both China and Russia have already established a strong presence.

The main findings of the study include:

1. The EU should concentrate on closer cooperation with its partners in the sense of a “Team Europe” in order to provide Central Asia with an alternative to the growing Russian and Chinese influence.
2. The EU and its member states should have an understanding of the regional security environment of Central Asia to achieve long-term success and to be able to implement cooperation in a goal-oriented manner.
3. It’s important to combat the manipulation of foreign information and to increase funding for enhancing media literacy in Central Asia in order to guarantee a stable starting point for political and economic activity.

Read the full study here.

Read the Flipbook version here.

ENC Analysis: EU-Central Asian Interactions

The European Neighbourhood Council (ENC) released its new analysis on the growing importance of the interactions between the European Union and Central Asian countries.

This article is written by our academic council members Prof. Rick Fawn (Chair in International Relations at the University of St Andrews in Scotland), Dr. Karolina Kluczewska (FWO postdoctoral researcher at the Ghent Institute for International and European Studies (GIES) at Ghent University), and Dr. Oleg Korneev (Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the HSE University in St. Petersburg).   

Central Asia’s role in the EU’s external relations and security agenda is growing and has served as a testing ground for many EU policies, particularly those related to region-building and resilience promotion. In turn, studying the EU’s approach sheds light on how Central Asian actors engage with external partners, influence national policy agendas, and impact everyday life. In this ENC Analysis, the authors examine how the EU and Central Asia view one another, as well as mention the ten articles that came out of the research project ‘Contested Global Governance, Transformed Global Governors? International Organisations and “Weak” States’ (GLOBALCONTEST), and a series of events co-organized by European Neighbourhood Council and the project team.

The full analysis is available here.

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.