Effects of the Russia-Ukraine Conflict on the Internationalization of Higher Education in Kyrgyzstan

The war in Ukraine has affected the internationalization of higher education in Kyrgyzstan in a number of ways, some unique to Kyrgyzstan and some paralleling effects in other countries. This reflective essay, drawing on four theoretical frameworks, with a focus on examining the actors involved, and informed by personal communications and participant observations, suggests that further research is needed on a number of Kyrgyzstan-specific topics. Moreover, the presence in Kyrgyzstan's capital of two internationalized universities with connections to opposing side in the conflict -- the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University and the American University in Central Asia -- puts forth the notion that post-World War II assumptions about internationalization contributing to mutual understanding were developed in specific contexts. The complexity of the forms internationalization takes now implies that the comparative and international education field might benefit from some broader rethinking about the rationales for and effects of internationalization.