Martha Brill Olcott (born 1949) is an American expert on

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

and the

Caspian Caspian can refer to: *The Caspian Sea *The Caspian Depression, surrounding the northern part of the Caspian Sea *The Caspians, the ancient people living near the Caspian Sea *Caspian languages, collection of languages and dialects of Caspian peopl ...

. She was a senior associate with the Russian and Eurasian Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, co-directing the Carnegie Moscow Center's Project on Ethnicity and Politics in the former

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

. She taught

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

at Colgate University from 1975 until 1998. She joined the Carnegie Foundation in 1995. She previously served as a special consultant to Acting

United States Secretary of State The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...

Lawrence Eagleburger Lawrence Sidney Eagleburger (August 1, 1930 – June 4, 2011) was an American statesman and career diplomat, who served briefly as the Secretary of State under President George H. W. Bush from December 1992 to January 1993, one of the shortest t ...

and as director of the Central Asian American Enterprise Fund.US aid to Central Asia: "The rhetoric and the numbers are at odds with one another"
EurasiaNet She received her graduate degrees from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...

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She has criticized the amount of aid the U.S. government gives to Central Asian entities, saying, "The United States has had declining influence in the area and this isn't going to stop it he decline" She also says the government focuses too much on

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. Olcott has commented on the effects of the global financial crisis on Central Asia. She has indicated her support for economic development to continue here as an extension of economic integration with

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

and China, as well as an increase in aid and investment from international financial institutions.Asia's Overlooked Middle
Martha Brill Olcott, " International Economics Bulletin", June 2009.

Books

:''(links to Google Books)'' *
Kazakhstan: Unfulfilled Promise
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Getting it Wrong: Regional Cooperation and the Commonwealth of Independent States
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Russia After Communism
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The Kazakhs
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Olcott, Martha Brill Central Asian studies scholars Historians of Central Asia Terrorism in Central Asia Living people 1949 births SUNY Buffalo alumni University of Chicago alumni Colgate University faculty