Event: Central Asia’s Powerhouses in 2020: Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan

Central Asia’s Powerhouses in 2020: Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan

 

with
Wilder Alejandro Sanchez & Catherine Putz

Wednesday, March 11th
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM

The Institute of World Politics
1521 16th Street NW
Washington, D.C.

 To Register Click Here

About the lecture: This event will discuss recent developments in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan – Central Asia’s largest and richest states. We will address Nur-Sultan’s and Tashkent’s foreign policy objectives and regional initiatives as the new decade begins; some of the topics that we will discuss include Central Asian cooperation, the role of Kazakhstan in peacekeeping operations, and Uzbekistan’s priorities in the post-Islam Karimov era.

About the speakers:

Wilder Alejandro Sanchez is an international security analyst who focuses on geopolitical, military and cybersecurity issues.

He is a contributor for Jane’s Defense Weekly and Providence. He also publishes reports and commentaries in International Policy Digest, Geopolitical Monitor among others. He is also a member of the Center for International Maritime Security (CIMSEC), and the Forum on the Arms Trade.

His analyses have appeared in numerous refereed journals including Small Wars and Insurgencies, Defence Studies, Polar Journal, the Journal of Slavic Military Studies, European Security, Studies in Conflict and Terrorism and Perspectivas.

Catherine Putz is managing editor of The Diplomat. In addition to managing The Diplomat’s monthly magazine publication, Catherine serves as primary author and editor for its Central Asia section. She writes frequently on politics and security in Central Asia and Afghanistan. Catherine has traveled to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan on recent reporting trips, as well as Japan.

Catherine is an MA graduate of the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce at the University of Kentucky, where she studied international security and diplomacy; and Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, where she earned a BA in history with a focus on U.S. diplomatic and conflict history.

India Global Business: India as a Digital Decider in 2020

"India as a Digital Decider in 2020"
Wilder Alejandro Sanchez
India Global Business
Opinion
January 10, 2020
Originally published: https://indiaincgroup.com/india-as-a-digital-decider-in-2020-india-global-business/


Today, India is one of the pillars of the global economy and an influential player in regional and global affairs. Similarly important are India’s contributions to information technology as Indian companies and experts are the forefront of new developments in IT, including artificial intelligence and cyber security.


Wilder Alejandro Sanchez is an international security analyst who focuses on geopolitics, military and cyber security issues.

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Providence: 2020 Forecast: What Could Happen in Latin America and the Caribbean?

"2020 Forecast: What Could Happen in Latin America and the Caribbean?"
Wilder Alejandro Sanchez
Providence
January 15, 2020
Originally published: https://providencemag.com/2020/01/2020-forecast-latin-america-caribbean/

As the new year commences, there are several developments taking place in Latin America and the Caribbean that will likely make international headlines in 2020. In this commentary, we will briefly discuss some issues to keep in mind:

1. An Ongoing Lack of a Comprehensive US Foreign Policy: Needless to say, the Trump administration never had a grand strategy toward Latin America and the Caribbean.



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IPD: Iran v. the United States: Should Latin America be Concerned?

"Iran v. the United States: Should Latin America be Concerned?"
Wilder Alejandro Sanchez and Scott Morgan
International Policy Digest
World
January 10, 2020
Originally published: https://intpolicydigest.org/2020/01/10/iran-v-the-united-states-should-latin-america-be-concerned/


Since the death of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani on January 3rd as a result of an airstrike at the Baghdad International Airport, Iraq, there has been great consternation about how (and when) will Iran retaliate.

Apart from the recent attack against U.S. military facilities in Iraq, it is widely assumed that Tehran’s future actions move will take place in a geographically neighboring area (namely the Middle East and North Africa) against other American interests. However, there is a certain part of the world where there is an Iranian presence that should not be overlooked in determining where the counterstrike will take place.


The views expressed in this article are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect those of any institutions with which the authors are associated.




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Quoted in: Iraq Playing ‘Balancing’ Act Between US and Iran by Passing Resolution to Expel Foreign Troops, Say Analysts

"Iraq Playing ‘Balancing’ Act Between US and Iran by Passing Resolution to Expel Foreign Troops, Say Analysts"
By: Venus Upadhayaya
The Epoch Times
 January 7,2020
Originally published: https://www.theepochtimes.com/iraq-playing-balancing-act-between-us-and-iran-by-passing-resolution-to-expel-foreign-troops-say-analysts_3194950.html


A resolution passed by the Iraqi Members of Parliament on Jan. 5 calling for the expulsion of the foreign troops from the country is a “balancing” act between the United States and Iran, according to expert sources who said the expulsion will most likely not take place.


It was then that the Iraqi parliament voted to invite international forces back into the country, to turn the tide in the war against ISIS. The presence of the same U.S. military forces are now a threat to Iraq, according to Wilder Alejandro Sanchez, a defense and geopolitics analyst based in Washington.

“I think this move made sense for Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi and the Iraqi government,” Sanchez told The Epoch Times.

“If U.S. troops do depart Iraq, any retaliatory operations from Iran against U.S. assets will, at least, not occur in Iraqi soil,” said Sanchez.



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Geopolitical Monitor: Business as Usual with Beijing as Uyghurs Languish in “Education Camps”

"Business as Usual with Beijing as Uyghurs Languish in 'Education Camps'"
Wilder Alejandro Sanchez
Geopolitical Monitor
Opinion
December 30, 2019
Originally published: https://www.geopoliticalmonitor.com/business-as-usual-with-beijing-as-uyghurs-languish-in-education-camps/


As hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs and ethnic Kyrgyz continue to be imprisoned in so-called “education camps” in the People’s Republic of China, governments around the world continue to interact with Beijing, including deciding to establish diplomatic ties with the Chinese government instead of the Republic of China (Taiwan), as has been the recent case of Kiribati and the Solomon Islands.

Every country has a duty to protect and promote its own national interests, however it is problematic that many governments continue to praise Beijing in spite of obvious, and well-documented by now, human rights violations against an entire culture.
 

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Interviewed for: "Curaçao: Choppy Waters"

"Curaçao: Choppy Waters"
By: Al Emid
Global Finance
December 9, 2019
Originally published: https://www.gfmag.com/magazine/december-2019/curacao-choppy-waters

Curaçao enjoys income from multiple sources but is buffeted by troubles spilling out of Venezuela.

Curaçao boasts an oil industry, a sizable tourism sector and status as a corporate tax haven. Yet the island nation, an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, is under severe economic pressure—partially due to the political crisis and economic collapse in Venezuela, its close neighbor to the south.

Atop the list of problems: Isla Curaçao, the state-owned oil refinery, needs a new operator. The current contract with Petroleos de Venezuela runs out at the end of 2019. In December, PDVSA won a temporary extension of its contract to last up to one year while the refinery continues looking for a new operator.

While the refinery had received an exemption from US sanctions on Venezuela, production has dwindled drastically due to lack of crude from Venezuela, says Wilder Alejandro Sanchez, a Peru-based analyst who follows Curaçao.



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