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.
Managing Regional and Global Order after Ukraine: between Ideals and Reality
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.
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.
Social Media and Jihadism: The Shaping of a New Discourse
The European Neighbourhood Council (ENC) released its new analysis titled “Social Media and Jihadism: The Shaping of a New Discourse”.
The ENC Analysis is written by our Academic Council Member Dr. Emna Ben Arab who is a former member of the Tunisian Parliament (2004-2011) and an assistant professor at the University of Stax.
Between December 2012 and March 2016, Tunisia had more than 80 terrorist attacks and a relatively large number of Tunisians were influenced to join groups such as ISIS, signaled the presence of a propaganda aimed at Tunisian youth. In this publication, Dr. Ben Arab examines the role of social media platforms such as Youtube, Facebook and Twitter in shaping a jihadi narrative that played an important role in radicalizing and mobilizing an unprecedented number of youth, taking Tunisia as a case.
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.
ENC Analysis: Algerian Post-Bouteflika Democratisation and EU Security Implications
The European Neighbourhood Council (ENC) released its new analysis entitled “Algerian Post – Bouteflika Democratisation and EU Security Implications.’’
The ENC Analysis is written by our Academic Council Member Dr. Ebtisam Hussein who is a tenure holder of Political Science at Cairo University and Associate Professor of Political Science at New Giza University in Egypt.
Nearly three years after the ouster, Algerian democratisation is still grappling with a compelling political reform process and major political challenges such as weakened opposition and the military’s role in civilian politics. Due to its potential negative implications for the EU’s security, it is crucial to examine these challenges preventing the prospect for the democratisation process in Algeria. In this publication, Dr. Hussein discusses the factors that led to the 2019 uprising and the current situation in Algeria while recommending that certain efforts should be examined towards promoting political reform.
ENC Analysis: Armenia and Turkey – Unpacking Negotiation Strategies and Political Conjunctures
The European Neighbourhood Council (ENC) released its new analysis entitled “Armenia And Turkey: Unpacking Negotiation Strategies And Political Conjunctures”.
The ENC Analysis is written by our academic council member Dr. Vahram Ter-Matevosyan who is Associate Professor and Chair of Political Science and International Affairs Program at the American University of Armenia.
The Armenian internal political landscape, security foundations, and relations with neighbouring and third-party countries have changed in the aftermath of the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh war between Armenia and Azerbaijan. In this publication, Dr. Ter-Matevosyan analyzes the current relations between Armenia and Turkey, with the latter being a staunch supporter of Azerbaijan during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, recent efforts by the two sides to appoint diplomatic envoys in order to normalize bilateral relations, and the Armenian government’s handling of the delicate situation.
We would like to organise a face-to-face interview with you to hear your views and perceptions about Turkey, European values and future job prospects.
The interview will last approximately 30 minutes and will take place at your university in September-October 2019.
All your answers will be entirely anonymous and the interview will not be recorded as our project guidelines are submitted to the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance.
Simply send an email to amarazis@encouncil.org with your telephone number and full name, and we will contact you to schedule the interview.
Here is some information about the project: the European Neighbourhood Council (ENC) was granted a project under the Central Finance and Contracts Unit (CFCU) “Supporting Civil Society Dialogue Between EU and Turkey” in which we focus on “Understanding Future Values: Youth and Interaction across the EU and Turkey“. It is therefore important for our researchers to speak to you in person in order to have a better understanding about youth perceptions.
We would like to thank you for considering this personal interview request and our ENC team of young researchers very much looks forward to meeting you.
The European Neighbourhood Council (ENC) released its new analysis entitled “Mapping Russia’s Influence in the Kyrgyz Republic”.
The ENC analysis is written by Dr. Aijan Sharshenova, Associate Research Fellow at the OSCE Academy in Bishkek.
In this publication, Dr. Sharshenova maps how Russia intentionally and unintentionally influences Kyrgyz politics, economy, society and culture, and explores what challenges this influence might pose for Kyrgyz government, if it is left unchecked and unaddressed, as well as provides recommendations on how Kyrgyz policy makers could address these challenges.
Emerging Forms of Islamic Civil Society in Central Asia
The European Neighbourhood Council(ENC) in cooperation with the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs, released its new study: “Emerging Forms of Islamic Civil Society in Central Asia”.
The report is part of a Regional Policy Dialogue supported by the Hollings Center for International Dialogue. Over the course of three online sessions between February and March 2021, ENC and the Oxus Society gathered together a group of experts, representatives of civil society, and government officials to discuss the emergence of Islamic civil society in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, including Islamic charities, mosques, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and social media.
The participants addressed the following questions:
How popular is Islamic civil society in Central Asia?
How is Covid-19 affecting the role of Islamic civil society in the region?
Is Islamic civil society a potential source of stability, human security, and development?
What opportunities are there for dialogue with forms of civil society and assistance offered by NGOs and the state?
Although the group had a wide array of viewpoints, they loosely converged around the following points:
Islamic civil society is growing in importance in Central Asia, but remains an understudied topic.
While there is no agreed upon definition of Islamic civil society, it includes six types of actors: mosques, mahallas, charities, NGOs, jamaats and muftiates, all of whom frame their activities as being driven by Islamic norms and morality.
Islamic civil society was strengthened by the Covid-19 pandemic, which uncovered the weaknesses of state governance and offered opportunities for new actors to step in to provide services to the local population.
Dynamics of Islamic civil society vary across the region, with Kyrgyzstan hosting the widest array of groups and Tajikistan the fewest (Turkmenistan is not included in this report).
The growth of Islamic civil society in the region has been restricted by secular regimes who view the growth of religious sentiments as an alternative source of legitimacy and potential threat to social order.
Find below the report in English, Turkish and Russian along with a short video featuring Dr. Edward Lemon, President of the Oxus Society and Research Assistant Professor at Texas A&M University and Samuel Doveri Vesterbye, ENC Managing Director, summarising findings and discussion ideas from the regional policy dialogue on Islamic civil society.
