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Central Asia-Caucasus Institute (CACI) @caci-silkroad.bsky.social · 10h

The world wants in on the Central Asia sweepstakes and the EU is inching closer to making that a reality.

The Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (ECPA) will be the next step in the EU's collaboration in Tajikistan. What does it mean for Europe and the rest of the world?

The EU Expands Its Ties With Tajikistan

By Emil Avdaliani

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Central Asia-Caucasus Institute (CACI) @caci-silkroad.bsky.social · 1d

What do young people in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Afghanistan think about the world around them?

New Silk Road Paper edited by Dr. S. Frederick Starr examines generational change across the CAMCA region.

🔗 buff.ly/tpr8Kxr

#CentralAsia #Caucasus #Youth #SilkRoadPapers #CACI

Worldviews of Youth: Central Asia, Mongolia, the Caucasus, and Afghanistan

S. Frederick Starr ed.

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Central Asia-Caucasus Institute (CACI) @caci-silkroad.bsky.social · 2d

Can Nordic lessons in cooperation guide Central Asia’s next phase of integration?

CACI’s Svante Cornell and John Engvall explore the promise of a C5+5 Nordic–Central Asia dialogue and what both regions can learn from each other.

Full article:

How the Nordic Countries Can Engage Central Asia

By Svante E. Cornell and John Engvall

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Central Asia-Caucasus Institute (CACI) @caci-silkroad.bsky.social · 5d

Yesterday, CACI Chairman S. Frederick Starr testified before the Senate Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation

The topic of the hearing was “The Future of U.S. Black Sea Strategy”

Full testimony:

S. Frederick Starr Testimony from Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing on “The Future of U.S. Black Sea Strategy”

On Tuesday, September 30th, 2025, S.

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Central Asia-Caucasus Institute (CACI) @caci-silkroad.bsky.social · 8d

New from CACI: Barçın Yinanç on Turkey’s Kurdish dilemma.

How can Ankara pursue peace at home while confronting Kurdish autonomy in Syria—without risking U.S. ties or derailing its domestic peace process?

Full article: buff.ly/CTgs8Vq

Central Asia-Caucasus Institute (CACI) @caci-silkroad.bsky.social · 9d

New from CACI: A forum on the future of regional cooperation in Central Asia.

Dr. Kushkumbayev, Amb. Vakhabov, Dr. Starr, and Dr. Cornell examine lessons from failed unions, the rise of pragmatic cooperation, and the path toward deeper institutionalization.

Full spotlight:

A New Central Asia: From Past Attempts to Future Cooperation

By Benjamin Power

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Central Asia-Caucasus Institute (CACI) @caci-silkroad.bsky.social · 13d

Russia’s $160B rainy-day fund? Gone.
Over 1.2 million young men? Dead or too wounded to work.
Infrastructure? Crumbling.

S. Frederick Starr lays it out bluntly: “The Russian state is literally bankrupt.”

Quin Hillyer: It's written in the Starr that Russia is losing its war against Ukraine

New Orleanian Fred Starr, perhaps the foremost expert on Russia in the country, says Russia is losing its war against Ukraine and that the U.S. should do more to expedite Russia's loss.

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Central Asia-Caucasus Institute (CACI) @caci-silkroad.bsky.social · 13d

New from CACI: Stephen Blank on why the U.S. should seize the chance to revive Georgia’s Anaklia port project.

Such a move could reshape trade routes, counter Russian and Chinese influence, and boost Central Asia’s ties to the West.

Full article: buff.ly/51ARX5h

Georgia on Trump's Mind

By Stephen Blank

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Central Asia-Caucasus Institute (CACI) @caci-silkroad.bsky.social · 14d

“Russia is definitely and unquestionably losing this war.” – S. Frederick Starr, Russia expert and longtime New Orleanian.

Starr points to Russia’s broken economy, shattered military, and rising internal chaos as proof that Putin’s war is unraveling.

Quin Hillyer: It's written in the Starr that Russia is losing its war against Ukraine

New Orleanian Fred Starr, perhaps the foremost expert on Russia in the country, says Russia is losing its war against Ukraine and that the U.S. should do more to expedite Russia's loss.

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Central Asia-Caucasus Institute (CACI) @caci-silkroad.bsky.social · 14d

Could U.S. secondary sanctions on Russian oil imports backfire in Central Asia and the South Caucasus?

New CACI analysis warns they risk alienating key partners and driving states closer to Moscow.

Full article:

The Strategic Dilemma of Secondary Sanctions in Central Asia and the South Caucasus

By Charlotte Krausz

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Central Asia-Caucasus Institute (CACI) @caci-silkroad.bsky.social · 15d

Iran is unsettled by the U.S.-brokered Armenia–Azerbaijan peace deal and the new TRIPP corridor.
Our latest analysis explores what Tehran fears most: loss of leverage, U.S. presence on its border, and shifting regional alliances.
Full article:

Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace: What is Iran Really Afraid of?

By Mehmet Fatih Oztarsu

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Central Asia-Caucasus Institute (CACI) @caci-silkroad.bsky.social · 16d

Spotlight from last month: How can Nordic experience with cooperation guide Central Asia’s new C5+5 format?
Our analysis points to lessons on energy, water, mobility, and resilience.
Read here:

How the Nordic Countries Can Engage Central Asia

By Svante E. Cornell and John Engvall

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Central Asia-Caucasus Institute (CACI) @caci-silkroad.bsky.social · 20d

Governing from the shadows.

A new CACI feature contends Ivanishvili has built an illiberal system that squeezes out opposition and civil society—pushing Georgia closer to a “quasi-dictatorship.”

Full read: buff.ly/pfdUxoO

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Central Asia-Caucasus Institute (CACI) @caci-silkroad.bsky.social · 21d

Is Central Asia more fragile than it looks?

Violence in 2022 across Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan & the Kyrgyz-Tajik border raised tough questions about stability.

New Silk Road Paper by Svante E. Cornell: buff.ly/wINrwaD
#CentralAsia #Security

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Central Asia-Caucasus Institute (CACI) @caci-silkroad.bsky.social · 23d

What matters more for the West: a democratic Georgia or a cooperative Georgia?

Our new Silk Road Paper explores the stakes of this choice for the Caucasus and beyond.

Read here: buff.ly/fdgJm0B

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Central Asia-Caucasus Institute (CACI) @caci-silkroad.bsky.social · 26d

Greater Central Asia offers opportunities for U.S. strategy—if Washington acts.

Read here: buff.ly/apn5lzf

Central Asia-Caucasus Institute (CACI) @caci-silkroad.bsky.social · 27d

“Georgia’s democracy is on life support.”

Alex Scrivener warns that Georgian Dream’s tightening grip risks undoing decades of democratic progress. Can Georgia be brought back from the brink?

Read here: ishortn.ink/GeorgiasSpiral

Central Asia-Caucasus Institute (CACI) @caci-silkroad.bsky.social · 28d

Can Armenia consolidate as a democratic, pro-Western anchor — or will it be pulled back into Moscow’s orbit?

Read here: buff.ly/IYEgyoA

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Central Asia-Caucasus Institute (CACI) @caci-silkroad.bsky.social · 29d

🚨 Webinar Alert: A New Central Asia? From Past Attempts to Future Cooperation 🚨

Date & Time: Septemeber 12, 2025, 9:00-110:00 AM EST

Join us as the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute brings together leading experts to discuss the dynamics of Central Asian cooperation.

🔗 Register:
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Central Asia-Caucasus Institute (CACI) @caci-silkroad.bsky.social · 29d

As Central Asia builds new regional institutions today, lessons from the Central Asian Union (1990–2005) remain vital.

Read the Silk Road Paper by Dr. Sanat Kushkumbayev:
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Central Asia-Caucasus Institute (CACI) @caci-silkroad.bsky.social · Sep 8

“Central Asia’s cooperation is shifting from ad hoc meetings to real institutions.”

An emerging common identity is strengthening trade, energy, and regional security.

Read Here: buff.ly/2VBMKOF

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Central Asia-Caucasus Institute (CACI) @caci-silkroad.bsky.social · Sep 5

"By legitimizing the Taliban, Russia risks reinforcing a wider terrorist ecosystem across Central and South Asia."

Russia is the first major state to formally recognize the Taliban.
Will this partnership against ISIS-K strengthen security or empower jihadist networks?

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Central Asia-Caucasus Institute (CACI) @caci-silkroad.bsky.social · Aug 22

After many years of unclear U.S. policies towards Central Asia and the Caucasus, the Trump Administration has made a major move to upgrade U.S. presence in the Caucasus.

Read our full analysis here:

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Central Asia-Caucasus Institute (CACI) @caci-silkroad.bsky.social · Aug 20

Join us for a discussion with Ambassador George Krol, Professor at the U.S. Naval War College, and Dr. Svante Cornell from the American Foreign Policy Council's Central Asia-Caucasus Institute.

Sign up here: buff.ly/zU3YZ8Y

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Central Asia-Caucasus Institute (CACI) @caci-silkroad.bsky.social · Aug 18

Washington needs to do a better job of coordinating its private sector partnerships and investments in the Greater Central Asian region.

Read our full analysis here: buff.ly/ubDVcoe