On February 22, Dr. McGlinchey gave the keynote address at the University of Pittsburg's 10th Annual REES/GOSECA Graduate Student Conference. The title of his presentation was "Threats: Perception and Reality in Central Asia."
Dr. McGlinchey discussed how Central Asia's historically stable regional powers, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, are now approaching a new period in which political instability is likely. This increased likelihood of instability, McGlinchey concluded, is as much an opportunity as it is a threat for the United States. Leadership change in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan offers Washington the chance to engage Central Asia's leading powers in new and innovative ways.
On February 28th, Dr. McGlinchey gave a talk at Bowdoin College on the Islam and State Sovereignty in Central Asia. The digest reads as follows:
Central Asian countries have had mixed success negotiating the borders of Islam and state sovereignty. In some cases this negotiation assumes immediate form, as in the delicate dialogue between secular government officials and Islamic elites. In other cases this negotiation involves not real borders but imagined identities: should the state remain secular or embrace religion; should local Islam be defended against or opened to practices from outside the region? And in still other cases this negotiation centers on hard currency and, specifically, the influence Islamic financial institutions should have in economic and human development. McGlinchey's presentation explores evolving state practices toward imams, identities and international financial institutions as Central Asian countries attempt to solidify sovereignty two decades after the Soviet collapse.
March 05, 2013
