I wanted to take a moment to give you an overview of our recent ISA PDG-Collegium Civitas Joint Eurasia Conference "Eurasia – Defining and Crossing Barriers" held at the Collegium Civitas, Warsaw, Poland on June 17th - 18th. Collegium Civitas is an institution that specializes in the Social Sciences principally Sociology, Political Science, and IR with programs both at undergraduate (BA) and graduate (MA/PHD). They served as a gracious host whose efficiency and organization I would very much like to commend. I would like to specifically thank Dr. Codogni. They, and the conference, were housed in the Palace of Culture. A building that dominates the skyline of Warsaw. An example of early 50s Social Realism this concrete skyscraper allowed for amazing views in rooms with high ceilings that I believe helped to expand our intellectual discourse.

The conference was envisioned to be focused on Eurasia (a complex combination of politics, ideology, and geographical identity). The participants spanned the continent from Western China and Japan, to Central Russia and the Caucus, and finally Western Europe (as well as North America). This was very much an international conference. Topics ranged from regional security issues (all of a sudden very relevant), EU expansion v. CIS, energy resources and distribution, ethnic identity and nationalism, religious movements, border conceptions, as well as immigration and economics (trade, FDI). demography. Some examples of papers dealt with creating databases on Islamic Law, religious institutionalism and immigration, and the dynamics of regional to global power. Former ISA Presidents Dr. Simmons, Dr. Kugler, and Dr. Solingen served as our keynote speakers and we were lucky to get a chance to see their future research agendas and very much appreciate their attendance.

I and Dr. Emilia Justyna Powell served as co-Program Chairs with Dr. Jacek Kugler our conference President.

Tadeusz Kugler, co-Program Chair