Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili

Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili

About Me

I am the Founding Director of the Center for Governance and Markets and a Professor at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. Outside of Pitt, I serve as a nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a distinguished scholar of peace and international

Piece in Tablet Magazine on Overcoming Division

Piece in Tablet Magazine on Overcoming Division

In an article for Tablet Magazine, together with my colleague Abdesalam Soudi, we discuss our role as two University of Pittsburgh professors, one Jewish and one Muslim, who initiated "Pitt Community United in Compassion" to address campus conflicts. These events were designed to cultivate a supportive, understanding environment

Why China is still on the sidelines in Afghanistan, 2 years after messy US troop pull-out

Why China is still on the sidelines in Afghanistan, 2 years after messy US troop pull-out

Quoted in South China Morning Post Two years after the messy withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, the country continues to face severe challenges, including a humanitarian crisis and a security vacuum left by the Taliban's swift advance on Kabul. International aid has been suspended, exacerbating Afghanistan'

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Interview on Central Asian Politics

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Interview on Central Asian Politics

In an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty I discussed the way Central Asian leaders in countries like Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan are using the rhetoric of "newness" to portray their administrations as agents of change. You can find a link to the entire story here. Same

China in Afghanistan: in South China Morning Post

China in Afghanistan: in South China Morning Post

This week, I spoke to the South China Morning Post about China's influence in Afghanistan. You can find a link to the article here. Full text below Signs of Chinese business life return to Afghanistan 2 years after the Taliban’s takeover By Zhao Ziwen * Chinese traders and

Grant to Support Research on Pluralism and Deeply Divided Societies

Grant to Support Research on Pluralism and Deeply Divided Societies

A research team led by Pitt’s Center for Governance and Markets (CGM) will use a new three-year, $2.4 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation to examine the ways societies can manage — and overcome — polarization and social divisions. The center, part of the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate

Conference on Ukraine's War of Independence

Conference on Ukraine's War of Independence

On September 17, 2022 I will speak about post-conflict reconstruction and the war in Ukraine at this important fundraiser for the Kyiv School of Economics, United24, and Razom. Donate to Kyiv School of Economics: DonationThe Kyiv School of Economics (KSE), together with Ukrainian businesses and state-owned companies, have launched a

Polycentric Governance: WINIR Annual Conference

Polycentric Governance: WINIR Annual Conference

The WINIR is holding its annual conference from September 6-9, 2020 (online). It's a great conference - featuring some of the most innovative thinking at the intersection between political science, economics, anthropology, and philosophy. On Thursday, September 8 at 1600 UTC (12:00pm ET), I will present a

Presentation | Cornell University

Presentation | Cornell University

On Thursday, September 8, 2022 at 11:25am, I will present my latest research with Mohammad Qadam Shah, at the Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies. Event is co-sponsored by the South Asia Program.

Do No Harm: America Must Put Afghans First | The National Interest

Do No Harm: America Must Put Afghans First | The National Interest

As the United States moves forward in Afghanistan, it should have one primary objective: supporting the resilience of the Afghan people to weather the storms they have in front of them.

Drowning Democracy | Journal of Democracy

Drowning Democracy | Journal of Democracy

Afghanistan taught us that a firehose of unaccountable aid can destroy a country’s democratic future. In Ukraine, we are making the same mistake all over again. Co-authored with Nataliia Shapoval. Published in Journal of Democracy August 2022 Drowning Democracy | Journal of DemocracyAfghanistan taught us that a firehose of unaccountable

The Future of Afghanistan | Ideas of India

The Future of Afghanistan | Ideas of India

For the podcast, Ideas of India I spoke about the problems with imposing liberal democracy in Afghanistan, building state capacity, education, the role of the U.S. in the Ghani government’s collapse and much more.

Named among World's Top Thinkers 2022 by Prospect Magazine

In 2022, Prospect Magazine shared a list of the "intellectuals coming up with the most exciting and potentially game-changing ideas in their fields—from war analysts, climate scientists and tech regulators to the philosophers rethinking sex and gender." You can find me right after Elon Musk. https://www.

Where Russia’s Afghanistan Policy Went Wrong | The National Interest

Where Russia’s Afghanistan Policy Went Wrong | The National Interest

In this op-ed for the National Interest, Akram Umarov and I examine Russia's strategy towards the Taliban. We argue that Russia has overplayed its hand in Afghanistan

Uzbekistan Protests: Why Karakalpakstan Is Angry Over Proposed Constitutional Changes | Foreign Policy

Uzbekistan Protests: Why Karakalpakstan Is Angry Over Proposed Constitutional Changes | Foreign Policy

In this explainer for Foreign Policy, I discuss the violent protest that swept the autonomous republic of Karakalpakstan that is inside of Uzbekistan. Unrest spread after proposed constitutional changes would have transformed its a autonomy.

The Source of Ukraine's Resilience | Foreign Affairs

The Source of Ukraine's Resilience | Foreign Affairs

Ukraine shows that a combination of democracy and decentralization can strengthen central government, even as power shifts away from it. This is especially important to acknowledge as Ukraine begins to think about the enormous task of rebuilding when the war is over.

The Precious, Fragile Gift of Freedom | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Precious, Fragile Gift of Freedom | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

New opinion piece in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. It discusses what we can learn from intellectual leaders and academics in both Ukraine and Afghanistan.

Afghanistan Collapse Was Not Inevitable | Slate

Afghanistan Collapse Was Not Inevitable | Slate

In an opinion piece for Slate, I argue that the collapse of the Afghan state was not inventible. You can read the entire piece here: Afghanistan Collapse Was Not InevitablePainting Afghan society with a broad brush only obfuscates the mistakes of those in power.SlateJennifer Brick Murtazashvili [https://slate.com/

Collapse of Afghanistan | Journal of Democracy

Collapse of Afghanistan | Journal of Democracy

My new article on the collapse of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan appeared in the latest issues of the Journal of Democracy. You can read the article here. Murtazashvili 2022 The Collapse of Afghanistan Murtazashvili - 2022 - The Collapse of Afghanistan.pdf 1 MB download-circle

Now Available: Land, the State, and War | Cambridge University Press

Now Available: Land, the State, and War | Cambridge University Press

My new, Land, the State, and War: Property Institutions and Political Order in Afghanistan (with Ilia Murtazashvili) is now available from Cambridge University Press.