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FOREIGN POLICY SEMINAR

CENTRAL ASIA - A Political-Economic Conflict Seminar

May 2-4, 2006

The five countries of Central Asia - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan - present ever greater challenges for American foreign policy makers. Some of those challenges arise from their geographical location. Others are the result of the region's increasingly important role as a supplier of natural resources. And still a third group are the product of the increasing impact of radical Islam on the politics and societies of these countries and their neighbors.

The recent decisions of Uzbekistan, first to allow the United States to open a military base on its territory as part of the war on terrorism, and subsequently to demand that the United States close down that critically important facility, underscores both how significant this region is becoming in American foreign policy and how important it is for American officials to understand the various factors at work in that region - including the rise of radical Islam, increasing geopolitical competition within and beyond the borders of the region, and access to oil and other strategic resources.

Central Asia remains an exotic terra incognita, a place many have heard about but few have had the change to work in or study in any detail. The Pentagon was the first U.S. government department to treat the countries of Central Asia administratively as part of the broader Middle East rather than as components of the former Soviet Union by placing them under CENTCOM.

This special Political-Economic Conflict Seminar will provide attendees the unique opportunity to learn about countries where American forces are certain to be involved and which thus will form and increasingly significant portion of their responsibilities in the future.

SPEAKERS & TOPICS

Central Asia: From Myth to Map
Paul Goble, Program Moderator. Senior Research Associate, Euro College, University of Tartu, Estonia; Former Senior Advisor to the Director, Voice of America

Islam and the History of Central Asia
Muriel Atkin, Professor and Chair, Department of History, George Washington University

Iran and Central Asia
A. Williams Samii, Senior Researcher and Regional Analysis Coordinator, Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty, Voice of America

Oil and Water: A Dangerous Mix in Central Asia
Paul Goble, Program Moderator. Senior Research Associate, Euro College, University of Tartu, Estonia; Former Senior Advisor to the Director, Voice of America

Kazakhstan and the United States: Partnership and Cooperation
Martha Brill Olcott, Senior Associate, Russian and Eurasian Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Central Asia as a Challenge to the World
Martha Brill Olcott

Domestic Political Change in Central Asia
Sergei Gretsky, Chair, Central Asian Studies, Foreign Service Institute U. S. Department of State

The United States and Central Asia
S. Frederick Starr, Chair, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute; Research Professor, Johns Hopkins University

Central Asia: Between Moscow and Beijing
Martin Sieff, National Security Correspondent and Former Chief Political Correspondent, United Press International

The American Military in Central Asia
Stephen J. Blank, Research Professor of National Security Affairs, Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College

The Geopolitical Dimension
Stephen J. Blank

Competition and Cooperation in Central Asia
Peter Stavrakis, Professor of Political Science, National Defense University

Central Asia in 2050
Paul Goble, Program Moderator

ABOUT ALAN L. FREED ASSOCIATES

Alan L. Freed Associates specializes in the design and development of non-partisan Public Policy Seminars for senior managers and executives of the federal government. Through a series of high-level, off-the-record presentations, these seminars provide attendees with an understanding of the fast-paced political, policy, and procedural developments that affect their careers and the mission of their Agency.

In 1976, Alan L. Freed Associates founded and developed the original Capitol Hill Workshop and White House Workshop. Alan L. Freed Associates has designed and conducted more than 800 executive-level public policy seminars in Washington, DC. In addition, Alan L. Freed Associates has presented over 100 public policy seminars at various military bases around the United States. Over 500 "Washington Insiders" have made presentations in the past 30 years. These public policy seminars are a widely recognized and highly respected component of leadership training and executive development in the federal government.

If you are interested in a custom Public Policy Seminar at your installation, please contact us. All seminars will be designed to address global issues of specific interest to participants at the time of the seminar.

Alan L. Freed Associates is affiliated with the Federal Executive Institute Alumni Association (FEIAA), a nonprofit organization which is dedicated to the continuing education of the federal executive.