Surrounded by Russia, China, Iran, and Afghanistan, the countries of Central Asia are in a volatile  neighborhood. The “Stans” (Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan,and Kirghizstan) were part of the Soviet Union, and all became independent states as the USSR broke apart. All were deeply affected by the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the exodus of refugees in its wake.

 

Richard Hoagland spent his career working in or with the Stans: Ambassador to Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, Charge d’affaires in Turkmenistan, and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs (October 2013 to August 2015). Today, he serves as chair of the Caspian Policy Center’s Security and Politics Program. Join us for this Voices program when Hoagland will explain the near-term issues that these geographically important front-line states face. And, to lighten the evening, he may reprise his brief memoir on the importance of vodka in social settings!