OCAS 3065 - China and South Central Asia; Belt and Road Initiatives and Terrorism

The course title is "China and South-Central Asia: The Belt and Road Initiatives and Terrorism." It covers China's relationships with Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the five Central Asian Countries – the discussion does not include India and the rest of the South Asian countries. Regarding the South Central Asian (SCA) Countries bordering Xinjiang, China has pursued economic and security-oriented policies. It has financed two economic corridors/investments through Belt and Road Initiatives in Pakistan and Central Asia, even though it was concerned about radical and terrorist groups in this region. Such policy has increased its political and security engagement in these countries.

In Asian studies and International Relations, SCA has been under scrutiny and surveillance due to the high level of terrorist groups' activities and geostrategic competitions. While it is prone to potential upheaval, NATO, and the USA's withdrawal from Afghanistan, facilitated terrorist groups to use Afghanistan under the Taliban control as a safe sanctuary.

Therefore, the course aims to infer the principles of China's move and behavior toward Afghanistan and SCA countries, historically and during Xi's era. Step by step, Xi's dreams toward SCA have unfolded new dynamism, which this course attempts to analyze within the SCA region and trans-regional effects. It also covers important topics such as China's geo-economic and security ambitions in SCA, counter-terrorism, and a broader picture of the World Order.

Learning Outcomes

1. Students will be able to identify and describe China's Foreign Policy toward Central Asia.

2. Students will be able to identify BRI and Terrorism activities in Central South Asia.

3. Students will be able to understand the politics of Central South Asian Countries (Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia) and bilateral relations with China.

Professional Skills

1. Students will be able to have analytical skills to understand components of complex problems in Central South Asia, interpret data, and offer relevant perspectives regarding possible scenarios of China's move in the region.

2. Students will be able to have more vital communication skills to present ideas and data clearly about China's Foreign Policy in Central South Asia and politics in Central South Asia.

3. Students' written homework allows them to examine written material and oral presentations critically about China in CSA.

4. Students' group presentation will strengthen their ability to work in a group and present.

Sayed Mahdi MUNADI

Séminaire

English

- In Class Presence: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester

- Reading and Preparation for Class: 6 hours a week / 66 hours a semester

This course requires a limited understanding of IR theories and the history of International Relations. Students from IR backgrounds will be able to conform to the content. At the same time, those with different backgrounds can join the course by reading one or two principal IR books and supplementary course readings.

Autumn 2022-2023

There will be following three ways to evaluate students in this course:

First, through active participation in the class, there are ten questions in the whole procedure, and students need to respond to each question within 400 words according to the format in the first session, based on the required readings (30 marks).

Second, through group presentation, students need to form 10 groups and choose a title related to the subject or the title of the session and present in one of ten days of the course (20 marks).

Third, through writing an article related to the course topic within the Sciences Po articles' format. (50 marks)