Whether it's China's 'One Belt, One Road' series of economically driven initiatives, books* rewriting the history of this exotic-to-the-Westerner region or UNESCO's growing repository of Silk Road resources, it seems the world can't get enough of the (new) Silk Road(s) at the moment. Central Asia is right at the heart of both the ancient trading …
Tag: university partnerships
Nazarbayev University Number 2?
No stranger to creating new universities, Kazakhstan's longstanding (and thus far only) president Nursultan Nazarbayev has already set up or led initiatives since founding KIMEP University in 1992. Now, building on the investment and early successes of the eponymous Nazarbayev University - which the president apparently did not ask to be named after himself - …
A new era of international relations for Uzbek higher education
In a series of moves that have been tentatively welcomed by Central Asia-watchers, Uzbekistan has been enjoying a resurgence of international support under the presidency of Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Mirziyoyev's highest profile international visit so far was a trip this week to the United States. Covered in good detail by English language outlets including the latest …
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What does the Asian Universities’ Alliance mean for Central Asia?
A small flurry of press stories recently (e.g. in University World News on 2 June, University World News on 4 May, The PIE News, Today.kz and ICEF Monitor) announced the arrival of a new partnership of higher education institutions, the Asian Universities' Alliance (AUA). Bringing together 15 universities from 14 countries, the AUA aims to promote academic mobility between institutions and countries …
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Work Together to Build a Bright Future: the Universities Alliance of the New Silk Road
Today's post picks up on a recent report by Yojana Sharma in University World News on a new alliance set up in China to bring together universities along the Silk Road, that ancient trading route linking China to Europe. In fact, the exact geography of 'Silk Road' is very broadly interpreted for this new grouping, bringing together as it does …
Malaysian university to open in Tajikistan
Malaysian Limkokwing University has committed to opening a campus in Tajikistan, a not unexpected move by this ambitious and globally facing technical/creative university, which I first investigated in 2011. The announcement was made during President Rahmon's visit to Malaysia earlier this week. In the press release on the President's website [ru], it is noted that there are 'only' around 40 …
From wandering scholars to strategic partnerships: the experience of British universities in Central Asia
My new article 'From wandering scholars to strategic partnerships: the experience of British universities in Central Asia' is out this week in new publication Perspectives on Central Asia. Published by Eurasian Dialogue, Perspectives is 'a quarterly bulletin dealing with the many aspects of life in Central Asia. This innovative publication provides Central Asia specialists and enthusiasts with perspectives …
East is east: university partnerships work all ways
The Korea Times this week reported on an initiative by the country's new Uzbek Ambassador to encourage Korean universities to open branch campuses in Uzbekistan. This is an interesting initiative, both in that it's being initiated by Uzbekistan - not known for its openness to the world - and as a demonstration that university partnerships …
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Emma Sabzalieva 