Atlantic Council

On October 5, the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Task Force hosted an ‘off-the record’ luncheon discussion about Central Asia and U.S. policy toward the region with Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake and all five U.S. chiefs of mission to the Central Asian republics. Ross Wilson, head of the Atlantic Council’s Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center, moderated the discussion. 

The conversation was driven by the Ambassadors’ impressions of U.S. relations with their countries, in addition to local perceptions of American policy in the region.  Topics shifted fluidly and ranged from an update on political and security conditions in Kyrgyzstan, Chinese and Russian interests and activities in Central Asia, the OSCE’s potential and limitations in the region, as how an eventual drawdown of U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan will impact U.S. policy towards Central Asia.

This discussion continues the work of the Atlantic Council Eurasia Task Force on the OSCE and its role in Central Asia, including “U.S. Interests in Central Asia,” and issue briefs including “Deciding on an OSCE Summit,” by Senator Chuck Hagel, and “Uncertain Kyrgyzstan: Rebalancing U.S. Policy,” by Task Force Directors Damon Wilson and Ambassador Ross Wilson. A similar piece by the directors, “Kyrgyzstan Sits on a Precipice,” was published in The Hill.