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Messaging Effects on US Favorability Perceptions in Central Asia

PI: Eric McGlinchey, George Mason

Year selected for award: 2016

Russian, Chinese, Militant, and Ideologically Extremist Messaging Effects on United States Favorability Perceptions in Central Asia

Principal Investigator: Eric McGlinchey, George Mason University

Co-Investigators: Marlene Laruelle, George Washington University

Year of Award: 2016 - 2021

Managing Service Agency: Army Research Office

Project Description:

Our research investigates variations in perceptions of the United States abroad, particularly in regions where the US government extends considerable resources in military cooperation and development assistance. United States Favorability Perceptions in Central Asia, or USCAD (US-Central Asia Favorability) for short, explores why perceptions of the US in Eurasian Muslim-majority countries are increasingly negative, despite the US government's investment in bilateral and multilateral cooperation efforts. Militant and ideologically extremist organizations pose direct threats to US interests internationally and at home. At the same time, the Russian government promotes anti-US narratives so as to expand and solidify its influence in Eurasia. There is a critical need to understand the changing determinants of soft power and to restore America's image as a partner for promoting sovereignty, stability, and development in Muslim-majority countries.

Owl in the Olive Tree post:
Explaining Great Power Status in Central Asia: Unfamiliarity and Discontent

Select Publications:
Laruelle, Marlene, and Dylan Royce. 2019. Kazakhstani Public Opinion Of The United States And Russia: Testing Variables Of (Un)Favourability. Central Asian Survey. 28 (2): 197-216. Laruelle, Marlene, Dylan Royce, and Serik Beyssembayev. 2019. Untangling The Puzzle Of ‘Russia’s Influence’ In Kazakhstan. Eurasian Geography And Economics. 60 (2): 211-243. McGlinchey, Eric, and Marlene Laruelle. 2017. Renewing EU And US Soft Power In Central Asia - EUCAM". EUCAM. McGlinchey, Eric. 2018. The Changing Landscape Of Uncivil Society In Kyrgyzstan. The Foreign Policy Centre.