Redefining Central Asia

Keynote Speakers: BILL GRAHAM, HON. BOB RAE, & CHRISTOPHER ALEXANDER

Peace & Conflict Society

presents

4th Annual International Conference
Redefining Central Asia
Cooperation, Stabilization, & Implications of Regional Security

October 9-11
FRIDAY-SUNDAY

FRI - 7-9pm - Opening Keynote
SAT - 9am-8pm
SUN - 8am-5pm

Faculty of Law
Faculty of Law website
Map to Faculty of Law

Registration
$20 student (valid student ID required)
$50 professional / nonstudent

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Conference website

The Peace and Conflict Society’s fourth annual conference entitled Redefining Central Asia: Cooperation, Stabilization, and the Implications of Regional Security, focuses on the wider region of Central Asia. It aims to tackle a multitude of issues facing the region, many of which have global implications and can directly impact events in a very large geographical area, stretching into South and East Asia, the Russian Federation, Europe, and the Middle East.

The conference prefaces its outlook with the fact that while the term “Central Asia” is often used to define the five post-Soviet states of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, the region has historically included a much broader area and in our rapidly evolving global environment it is crucial that we start to address this deeply interconnected region as a whole. Thus the conference seeks to redefine Central Asia in our contemporary perception. By highlighting its interconnected issues and bringing a deeper understanding to this changing geostrategic area, the conference aims to better prepare our next generation of peacebuilders and global policymakers that will encounter a wider Central Asian region that is significantly different then that of their predecessors.

Keynote speakers at this year's conference will include the Hon. Bob Rae who will be talking on the direction of Canadian Foreign Policy in Afghanistan and the wider Central Asian Region. Over 20 specialist speakers from Academia, Government, the Intelligence community, policy makers and a dozen international student researchers will address topics ranging from human trafficking to ethnic-conflict, from terrorism to nuclear security.

The Conference will address the issues and solutions surrounding the region’s conflicts by examining themes and policies regarding regional and global security. Subjects include human rights (especially those of ethnic and religious minorities, women and children), identity politics, resource scarcity, environmental and energy politics, state building and transition, terrorism and insurgency, competing foreign policy interests in the region and criminal activity such as drug, arms and human trafficking.

Peace & Conflict Studies website

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Noteworthy Speakers Include:

BILL GRAHAM
- KEYNOTE CHAIR -
Chancellor of Trinity College
Former Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister 2002
Former Canadian Defence Minister 2004

HON. BOB RAE, PC, OC, OOnt, QC, MP
- KEYNOTE ADDRESS:
CANADIAN FOREIGN POLICY AND FUTURE ROLE IN AFGHANISTAN -
- Member of Parliament and Foreign Affairs Critic for the Official Opposition
- Member of the Security Intelligence Review Committee (1998-2003)
- Chair of the Forum of Federations which dealt with matters in Sri
Lanka, Sudan, and Iraq (7 years)

CHRISTOPHER ALEXANDER
- KEYNOTE ADDRESS:
ON THE GROUND IN AFGHANISTAN
- A CANADIAN PERSEPECTIVE -
- Former Canadian Ambassador to Afghanistan 2003-2005
- United Nations Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan 2005-2009
- Conservative Party Candidate for Ajax-Pickering

DR. THOMAS W. SIMONS JR.
- Visiting Scholar, Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University
- Senior Member U.S. Foreign Service (1963-98)
- American Ambassador to Pakistan (1996-1998) during the 1998 Nuclear Crisis
- Deputy Assistant Secretary of State responsible for relations with the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, and Yugoslavia
- Coordinator of U.S. Assistance to the states of the former-USSR

COLONEL DANIEL BURGHART
- Professor of National Security and Eurasian Studies, National Defense Intelligence College
- Former Senior National Security Policy Advisor at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency
- Former U.S. Defense and Army Attaché to Kazakhstan and Mission
- Commander at the On Site Inspection Agency for the Former Soviet Union

DR. LOUISE I. SHELLEY
- Director, Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center (TraCCC)
Professor, School of Public Policy, George Mason University
- Leading expert on transnational crime and terrorism with particular emphasis on the former-Soviet Union

DR. SYLVIA BABUS
- Director, Regional Security Studies Program
- Faculty lead, Central Asia Regional Security Study, Industrial College of the Armed Forces
- Served 10 years in the State
- Department’s Foreign Service Institute including posts in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan

DR. ROBERT F. BAUMANN
- Director of Graduate Degree Programs for the Command General Staff College (CGSC)
- Senior Professor of Russian and Eurasian Military History
- Leading specialist on Soviet-Russian involvement in Afghanistan, the Caucasus and Central Asia

DR. JEAN-YVES HAINE
- Senior Research Fellow, European Union Institute for Security Studies (EUISS)
- European Security Research Fellow, International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS)
- Senior Researcher, Transatlantic and Global Security at the Stockholm
International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
- Leading specialist on NATO, European security and defence, transatlantic relations, and the use of force

ROBERT S. MILLER
- Founder of the ZOR Foundation
- Senior Middle East Analyst at the Defense Intelligence Agency (1990-4)
- Former Middle East Director of Operations for the U.S. Air Force

DR. JASON STRAKES
- Research Associate, Illicit Arms Transfer Database Project, Division of Political Science
- Mark O. Hatfield School of Government, Portland State University
Greater Middle East analyst at the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine
Command Human Terrain System-Research Reachback Center East
- Specialist in foreign policy, security, and defence policy in post-Soviet Central Asia and the Middle East

NOAH TUCKER
- Researcher, U.S. Central Command Afghanistan and Pakistan Intelligence Center of Excellence
- Has lived (3 years) and conducted extensive research in Central Asia,
particularly Uzbekistan and Afghanistan

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CONFERENCE AGENDA


OCTOBER 9
FRIDAY

5:00 PM
REGISTRATION OPENS
FLAVELLE HOUSE ENTRANCE
Registration will take place at the Faculty of Law. Please arrive early to ensure you are registered before the beginning of the first event. Registration closes at 7:00pm for the day.

7:00 PM
OPENING KEYNOTE PANEL: AFGHANISTAN, NATO AND REGIONAL SECURITY
The opening keynote address will consist of a panel address followed by discussion. It will use Afghanistan as the lens to understanding conflict in the wider region and provide a theoretical and practical background for the conference centred on the challenges faced in Afghanistan and the wider region.

Chair: Brian Stewart
Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Munk Centre for International Studies, Former Senior Foreign Correspondent for CBC News

Jean-Yves Haine – EU/NATO Perspectives on Afghanistan
Senior Research Fellow at the European Union Institute for Security Studies (EUISS), European Security Research Fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS)

Robert F. Baumann – American Perspectives on Afghanistan
Director of Graduate Degree Programs and Professor of Russian and Eurasian Military History, Command General Staff College (CGSC)

Thomas W. Simons Jr. – Redefining Central Asia: A Caveat
Visiting Scholar, Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University, US Ambassador to Pakistan (1996-1998)
Former Senior Member of the Foreign Service

9:30 PM
SPEAKER WELCOME RECEPTION
A private reception for speakers, sponsors, conference organizers and International Symposium presenters.


OCTOBER 10
SATURDAY

9:00 AM
COFFEE AND MORNING REFRESHMENTS
ROWELL ROOM
Join us for coffee and light refreshment and have a chance to mingle with your fellow delegates. Delegates who were unable to register on Friday will have the opportunity to register in the morning, prior to the first Saturday keynote address. Please arrive early to ensure you are able to register before the keynote begins.
REGISTRATION CONT’ - FLAVELLE HOUSE ENTRANCE

10:00 AM
KEYNOTE ADDRESS: CANADIAN FOREIGN POLICY AND FUTURE ROLE IN AFGHANISTAN
This first Saturday keynote address will explore the nature of Canada’s role in Afghanistan, focusing specifically on Canadian Foreign Policy and the direction the keynote speaker feels we should take in the future.

Hon. Bob Rae, PC, OC, OOnt, QC, MP
MP for Toronto Centre, Foreign Affairs Critic for the Official Opposition of Canada, Former Premier of Ontario

Chair: Bill Graham, PC, QC
Chancellor of Trinity College, Chair of the Atlantic Council of Canada, Co-vice Chair of the Canadian International Council

11:00 AM
INTERMISSION

11:10 AM
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT SYMPOSIUM: PART I
The International Student Symposium features the work of student researchers (PhD, Professional degree students, Masters and Undergraduates) from around the world. Their research touches on some of the most pressing issues facing the region related to the themes of this year’s conference. In order to facilitate lively discussion and to maximize feedback that students can incorporate into their papers for eventual publication, each presentation will be followed by a discussion with a respondent, as well as an opportunity for question and answer with the audience.

AFGHANISTAN
Chair: Jean-Yves Haines
Senior Research Fellow at the European Union Institute for Security Studies (EUISS), European Security Research Fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS)

Ben McVicker
University of Toronto, Canada
Revisiting a Forgotten Interregnum: the Western Dialogue with the Taliban, 1996-2001

David E. Merrell
University of Washington, School of Law, USA
Promoting Cooperation Between Afghanistan and its Northern Neighbors: What Afghanistan Can Learn from State Incorporation of Community-Based Dispute Resolution in Kyrgyzstan

Mark Silinsky
Tulane University, USA
US Counterinsurgency in Afghanistan: More Building and Less Killing

12:50 PM
INTERMISSION – BREAK FOR LUNCH –

1:40 PM
PLENARY ADDRESS: REEXAMINING THE CONCEPT OF CENTRAL ASIA
This panel presentation will lay the historical context for the conference, outlining the importance of reexamining and “Redefining” Central Asia. It will include a visual presentation and set the stage for examining challenges to peace in the region and act as a foundation to understanding the transnational nature of the threats to human, regional and international security that we will address.

Robert M. Cutler – Historical and Cultural Geography of Central Asia
Senior Fellow at Institute of European, Russian and Eurasian Studies, Carleton University

Amanda Goodman – Interconnectedness of Religion in Central Asia
Associate Professor of Religion, University of Toronto

Ikboljon Qoraboyev – Central Asia: Pathways to Regional Order
University of Montpellier 1, France/ UNU-CRIS, Belgium

2:40 PM
INTERMISSION

2:50 PM
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT SYMPOSIUM: PART II

EXTERNAL ACTORS, POLITICAL ACTORS, AND THEIR INFLUENCE IN THE REGION
Chair: Mischa Kaplan
Visiting Doctoral Fellow at the Trudeau Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Toronto

Carter Page
School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, UK
Redefining the Balance Between Capitalist and Socialist Traditions in Central Asia

Magnus C. M. Brod
Philipps-Universitat Marburg, Germany
The Silk Road Personnel: Traders in Xinjiang between China and the Central Asian States

Kelsey Scribner
University of Notre Dame, USA
China’s Future of Leadership: Demystifying Xi Jinping

4:30 PM
KEYNOTE ADDRESS: ON THE GROUND IN AFGHANISTAN: A CANADIAN PERSPECTIVE

Christopher Alexander
Canadian Ambassador to Afghanistan (2003-2005), UN Deputy Special Representative to the Secretary General for Political Affairs in Afghanistan (2005-2009)

Chair: Brian Stewart
Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Munk Centre for International Studies, Former Senior Foreign Correspondent for CBC News

5:30 PM
INTERMISSION – BREAK FOR DINNER –

6:40 PM
KEYNOTE PANEL: CHALLENGES TO PEACEBUILDING AND NATIONBUILDING

Chair: Taylor Owen
Trudeau Scholar at the University of Oxford, Canada Action Scholar

Discussant: Colonel Daniel Burghart
Professor of National Security and Eurasia Studies at the National Defense Intelligence College, Former U.S Defense and Army Attaché to Kazakhstan and Mission Commander at the On Site Inspection Agency for the Former Soviet Union

Sylvia Babus
Director of Regional Security Studies Program and Faculty Lead, Central Asia Regional Security Study, Industrial College of the Armed Forces

Jason E. Strakes
Research Associate, Illicit Arms Transfer Database Project, Division of Political Science, Mark O. Hatfield School of Government, Portland State University

Noah Tucker
Researcher, US Central Command HTAT Afghanistan and Pakistan Intelligence Centre of Excellence

9:00 PM

CONFERENCE PUB NIGHT
The annual pub night continues to be one of the favourite “added highlights” of our conference weekends. Come out to talk with and really get to know your fellow delegates, symposium presenters and several of the speakers.


OCTOBER 11
SUNDAY

8:00 AM
COFFEE AND MORNING REFRESHMENTS
Join us for coffee and light refreshments and have a chance to mingle with your fellow delegates.
ROWELL ROOM

9:00 AM
PLENARY ADDRESS: TRANSNATIONAL CRIME AND MOVEMENT OF PEOPLES
This plenary session will address the cross-border and transnational issues of human trafficking, the narcotics trade and migration.

Chair: Ron Levi
Director of the Trudeau Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, Professor of Criminology, University of Toronto

Louise I. Shelley – Human Trafficking
Director of Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Centre (TraCCC), Public Policy School, George Mason University

Matthew Light – Soviet Migration Policies
Professor of Criminology, University of Toronto

Joshua Faust – Narcotics Trade in Afghanistan
Defence and Intelligence Analyst, Afghanistan Country Editor at Global Voices Online

11:00 AM
INTERMISSION

11:20 AM
ROUNDTABLE: ENERGY AND POLITICS IN CENTRAL ASIA AND THE CAUCASUS
This plenary session will address energy security in the Caucasus and Foreign Policy Actors.

Chair and Discussant: Lucan Way
Professor of Political Science, University of Toronto

ROBERT S. MILLER
Former Middle East Director of Operations for U.S. Air Force, Former Middle East Analyst at National Defense Intelligence
Agency (1990-4)

Robert M. Cutler
Senior Fellow at Institute of European, Russian and Eurasian Studies, Carleton University

Deniz Tura
Independent scholar and practitioner in the Eurasian energy field

1:20 PM
INTERMISSION – BREAK FOR LUNCH –

2:20 PM
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT SYMPOSIUM: PART III

CENTRAL ASIA: RELIGION, AND IDENTITY POLITICS

Chair: Ron Levi
Director of the Trudeau Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, Professor of Criminology, University of Toronto

Sherzod Muminov
University of Tsukuba, Japan
'Central Asia': The Evolution of the Concept and its Role in the Discourse of Regional Integration

Hélène Thibault
Université de Montréal, Canada
Tajikistan: A Secular State

Rebekah Tromble
Indiana University, USA
"Bad" Islam: The Myth of Uzbek Radicalism in Kyrgyzstan and Its Consequences for Regional Security

Laila Kadiwal
University of Oxford, UK
Belonging to the Nation: A Perspective from the Pamir, Tajikistan

4:30 PM
CLOSING REMARKS

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Redefining Central Asia

Faculty of Law
Fri Oct 09 2009, 7:00pm
Sat Oct 10 2009, 9:00am
Sun Oct 11 2009, 8:00am


Ticket Sales Begin:
Fri Oct 02 2009, 11:00am

Ticket Prices:
student - $20.00
professional / nonstudent - $50.00

For More Information:
Visit Event Website
E-mail: N/A
Phone: (416) 978-8849
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