Andrew Carrigan Kuchins is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

political scientist Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

, and former head of

American University of Central Asia The American University of Central Asia (AUCA) (; ), formerly the Kyrgyz-American School and the American University in Kyrgyzstan, is a liberal arts university located in Bishkek, the capital of the Kyrgyz Republic. History AUCA began its exis ...

. He has held senior positions at several

think tanks A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-gov ...

, including

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) is a nonpartisan international affairs think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C., with operations in Europe, South Asia, East Asia, and the Middle East, as well as the United States. Foun ...

Center for Strategic and International Studies The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is an American think tank based in Washington, D.C. From its founding in 1962 until 1987, it was an affiliate of Georgetown University, initially named the Center for Strategic and Inte ...

and

Carnegie Moscow Center The Carnegie Moscow Center () was a Moscow-based think tank that focuses on domestic and foreign policy. It was established in 1994 as a regional affiliate of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. It was the number one think tank in Cen ...

. Kuchins has written numerous books, articles, book reviews. He has been interviewed on mainstream and academic outlets including as

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

Politico ''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American political digital newspaper company founded by American banker and media executive Robert Allbritton in 2007. It covers politics and policy in the Unit ...

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

Washington Times ''The Washington Times'' is an American conservative daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It covers general interest topics with an emphasis on national politics. Its broadsheet daily edition is distributed throughout Washington, D. ...

The Moscow Times ''The Moscow Times'' (''MT'') is an Amsterdam-based independent English-language and Russian-language online newspaper. It was in print in Russia from 1992 until 2017 and was distributed free of charge at places frequented by English-speaking to ...

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

and

CS Monitor CS, C-S, C.S., Cs, cs, or cs. may refer to: Job titles * Chief Secretary (Hong Kong) * Chief superintendent, a rank in the British and several other police forces * Company secretary, a senior position in a private sector company or public sec ...

. Additionally, Kuchins has given testimony before the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

and the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

Early life and education

Kuchins was born in 1959. He holds a B.A. in

Russian studies Russian studies is an interdisciplinary field crossing politics of Russia, politics, history of Russia, history, Culture of Russia, culture, economy of Russia, economics, and languages of Russia, languages of Russia and its neighborhood, often gr ...

from

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zepha ...

and a certificate of proficiency in

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

language from the

Pushkin Institute The Pushkin State Russian Language Institute and its dormitory tower, a building made out of prefabricated concrete slabs. The Pushkin State Russian Language Institute () is a public education centre in Moscow specializing in the teaching of R ...

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

. He earned his M.A. in International Studies and his Ph.D. in

International Relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

from

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

at the

Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies The School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) is a graduate school of Johns Hopkins University based in Washington, D.C. The school also maintains campuses in Bologna, Italy and Nanjing, China. The school is devoted to the study of int ...

Think tank and academic career

From 2000 through 2007 Kuchins held a series of positions with the

, including as Director of the

and Director of Carnegie's Russian and Eurasia Program. From 2007 to 2015 he was Director of the Russia and Eurasian Program at the

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Kuchins then served as Senior Fellow and research professor at the Center for Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies at the

School of Foreign Service The Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service (SFS) is the school of international relations at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. It grants degrees at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Founded in 1919, SFS is the oldest continu ...

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

American University of Central Asia

In February 2019, the Board of Trustees of the

(AUCA) announced that Kuchins would become President of the university starting in May 2019. The American University of Central Asia is an international, multidisciplinary learning community in the American liberal arts tradition affiliated with

Bard College Bard College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The campus overlooks the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains within the Hudson River Historic District ...

. In April 2021, Kyrgyz police summoned Kuchins for questioning regarding the alleged importation of unauthorized narcotics.

"The state-sanctioned battle against progressive elements in Kyrgyzstan deepened over the weekend with the police summoning the American head of a Western-style university in Bishkek for questioning."

Despite the charges, there were "indications security services are involved in smear exercises," and according to the AUCA board of trustees "the medicine involved is approved for use in the United States, was prescribed for his use by his doctor in the U.S. for a medical condition … and was sent to him by mail from one of the largest U.S. pharmacies in the ordinary course of its business." Shortly after, over 50 academics issued a statement in support of Andrew Kuchins and criticized the charges:

"It is with alarm that we have been monitoring what strongly appears to be an effort to smear one of Kyrgyzstan’s leading academic institutions, the Bishkek-based American University of Central Asia (AUCA). This effort is most prominently symbolized by a criminal case recently launched against AUCA President Andrew Kuchins, an esteemed and long-time member of PONARS Eurasia known for his support of academic freedom and the broadly cross-national scholarly community. In the strongest possible terms, we call on the relevant authorities to immediately drop the drug-dealing charge against Kuchins—a meritless case that risks discrediting the country’s law-enforcement system in international eyes—and to restore Kyrgyzstan’s long-standing status as the Central Asian region’s leader in academic freedom. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident, and we stand united with scholars around the world in urging a reversal of concerning trends in Kyrgyzstan."

At the June 2021 virtual commencement, Dr. Kuchins announced that he would be stepping down as President of AUCA and returning to the United States. The board of the trustees of the university thanked him for his service, particularly during the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

pandemic. In July 2021, Kuchins was fined 60,000 Kyrgyz soms (approximately US$710) and expelled from Kyrgyzstan.

Personal life

Kuchins is married to Lilia Torshina. He has two children from a previous marriage and lives in

Chevy Chase, Maryland Chevy Chase () is the colloquial name of an area that includes a town, several incorporated villages, and an unincorporated census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland; and one adjoining neighborhood in northwest Washington, D ...

. He speaks Russian,

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

and

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

. Kuchins is a member of the Metropolitan Club (Washington, D.C.).

Select publications

*“China Policy towards Russian and Europe” in David B.H. Denoon, ed., China's Grand Strategy: A Roadmap to Global Power, New York University Press, June 15, 2021. *“The Energy Factor in Russia’s Asia Pivot” in Mike Mochizuki and Deepa Olalapoly, eds., Energy Security in Asia and Eurasia, Routledge, 2016. *“Russian Power Rising and Falling Simultaneously” in Ashley Tellis, ed., Strategic Asia: 2015-2016: Foundations of Power in the Asia-Pacific, National Bureau of Asian Research, 2015. *“Both Epicenter and Periphery: U.S. Interests in Central Asia” in David B.H. Denoon, ed., China, the United States, and the Future of Central Asia, New York University Press, 2015. *“Russia’s Contested National Identity and Foreign Policy” with Igor Zevelev in Henry R. Nau and Deepa M. Ollapally, eds., Worldviews of Aspiring Powers: Domestic Foreign Policy Debates in China, India, Iran, Japan, and Russia, New York: Oxford University Press USA, 2012. *“The Obama Administration’s Reset Button for Russia,” in Russia: The Challenges of Transformation,

Dmitri Trenin Dmitri Vitalyevich Trenin () is a member of . He was the director of the Carnegie Moscow Center, a Russian think tank. A former colonel of Russian military intelligence, Trenin served for 21 years in the Soviet Army and Russian Ground Forces, ...

and Piotr Dutkiewiz, New York: New York University Press, 2011. *Russia after the Global Financial Crisis with

Anders Aslund Anders is a male name in Scandinavian languages and Fering North Frisian, an equivalent of the Greek Andreas ("manly") and the English Andrew. It originated from Andres via metathesis. In Sweden, Anders has been one of the most common names fo ...

and Sergey Guriyev, Washington: Peterson Institute for International Economics, 2011. *The Russia Balance Sheet with Anders Aslund, Washington: Peterson Institute/CSIS, 2009. *"The Obama administration's 'reset button' for Russia", The Obama Moment, EU Institute for Security Studies, 2009. *Russia: The Next Yen Years, Washington: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2004. *Rough Crossing: Democracy in Russia, Moscow: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2004. *Russia after the Fall, Washington: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2002. *Russia and Japan: An Unresolved Dilemma between Distant Neighbors with Tsuyoshi Hasegawa and Jonathan Haslam, Berkeley: University of California/International and Area Studies, 1993.

Select professional activities

*Member,

Valdai Discussion Club The Valdai Discussion Club is a Moscow-based think tank and discussion forum. It was established in 2004 and is named after Lake Valdai, which is located close to Veliky Novgorod, where the Club’s first meeting took place. In 2014, the managem ...

*Adjunct Professor, Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies, 2007-2015 *Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University, 2001-2002 *Member of editorial board for Pro et Contra, Demokratizatsia and Washington Profile. *Member of Advisory Committee for Project on Basic Research and Higher Education (jointly managed by the US Civilian Research and Development Foundation and the Russian Federation Ministry of Education), 1997- 2003.

Congressional testimony

*Statement to the U.S House of Representatives, Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence of the Committee on Homeland Security, �
Assessing Terrorism in the Caucasus and the threat to the Homeland
��, Hearing, April 3, 2014. *�
Prospects for Engagement with Russia
��, testimony before the

United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations The United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is a Standing committee (United States Congress), standing committee of the United States Senate, U.S. Senate charged with leading Foreign policy of the United States, foreign-policy legi ...

, March 19, 2009. *“Russian Democracy and Civil Society: Back to the Future,” testimony before the

Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), also known as the U.S. Helsinki Commission, is an independent U.S. government agency created by Congress in 1975 to monitor and encourage compliance with the Helsinki Final Act and ...

, February 8, 2006.

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuchins, Andrew Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies alumni Universities in Bishkek American international relations scholars Russian studies scholars Carnegie Endowment for International Peace CSIS people Georgetown University faculty Johns Hopkins University faculty Johns Hopkins University alumni Amherst College alumni 1959 births Living people Academics from California