Please join the Russia and Eurasia Program at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, for a book discussion and award ceremony honoring the 2026 Fletcher Russia and Eurasia Book Prize winner, Backlash: China’s Struggle for Influence in Central Asia. Authors Bradley Jardine and Edward Lemon will discuss the book’s central arguments in conversation with Chris Miller, Professor of International History at The Fletcher School and Co-Director of the Russia and Eurasia Program.

The ceremony will be followed by a reception and book signing. Copies will be available for purchase on the event site.

Please register to attend via the Google Form here.

Backlash examines how Central Asians are pushing back against China’s global ambitions, and trace Beijing’s attempts to manage its image and secure its interests in response. Drawing on over a decade of fieldwork, Backlash reveals the uncertainties of China’s rise. Far from being the omnipotent strategist often depicted in international media, Beijing is making significant missteps, alienating local people and becoming entangled in costly interventions to protect its citizens and investments. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 undermined Moscow’s regional position, creating opportunities for China to expand its role. But to do so, it must contend with the agency of Central Asians themselves: their interests, policies and priorities.

About the authors

Bradley Jardine is a political risk analyst, strategic consultant, and Managing Director of the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs. A former fellow at the Wilson Center, he served as editor of The Moscow Times (2016-2018). His work has appeared in TIME, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Nikkei Asia, The Atlantic, and Foreign Policy, and on the BBC and CNN, among others. Bradley is a frequent guest lecturer at the US Foreign Service Institute and resides in Washington, DC.

Edward Lemon is Research Assistant Professor of Government and Public Service at the Bush School of Government and Public Affairs, Texas A&M University, Washington, DC, and President of the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs. He previously held positions at the Wilson Center and Columbia University. His research focuses on authoritarianism and security issues in Central Asia.