For Immediate Release Contact: Barbara K. Laskin
February 2, 2004 Doug Stone
(651) 696-6203

Symposium at Macalester College Explores
The Future of Central Asia, Feb. 5 & 6

St. Paul, Minn. - An important but little-understood world region will be the
focus of a symposium at Macalester College titled "The Future of Central Asia: Global Issues in a Regional Context," Thursday, February 5, and Friday, February 6, 2004. Central Asia consists of six states: Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Afghanistan. The symposium will explore such topics as Islam, U.S. policy, aid, water and business and is free and open to the public.

The keynote speaker, Nancy Lubin, is president of JNA Associates, Inc., a research and consulting firm that works on assessments and projects concerning the new states of the former Soviet Union (NIS), especially Russia and Central Asia, and a Senior Fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council. Her talk, "Stepping on Our Own Feet? Key Issues for U.S. Policy, Aid, and Business in Central Asia," will be at 4:30 p.m., Thursday, February 5, in Weyerhaeuser Memorial Chapel, 1600 Grand Avenue, St. Paul, Minn.

Other speakers and topics include: "Water and the Future of Central Asia (Aral Sea Basin): Problems and Prospects," Philip Micklin, Professor of Geography, emeritus, Western Michigan University and "Islam in Contemporary Central Asia: The Soviet Legacy and its Implications," Adeeb Khalid, chair of History Department, Carleton College. Iraj Bashiri, from the University of Minnesota and Laura Adams, from Georgetown University are also participating.
Central Asia's five states gained their independence following the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Macalester is a private liberal arts college with a full-time enrollment of 1,810 students. Macalester is nationally recognized for its commitment to academic excellence, internationalism, diversity and service to society.

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For more information, go to http://www.macalester.edu/russian/symposium.html