Abstract:

The Oirat Mongols came to prominence after the last remnants of the Mongol Empire began to crumble in East Asia. Their rise however, coincided with the rise of Russia and the Manchus as well as the Ottoman interest in Central Asia. During the 17^th and 18^th centuries, as the  European powers were colonizing Africa, the Americas and parts of Asia, the Oirats began a struggle for supremacy in Central Eurasia against the Russian, Manchu and Ottoman imperial desires in their regions. Despite having split into Kalmyk and Zungar Khanates, separated by long distances, both Oirat policies had the potential to challenge the imperial designs of their neighbors. In this speech by Dr. Atik, the geopolitics and the diplomatic strategies of these two Oirat policies during the 17^th ad 18^th centuries will be discussed taking the developments in both the eastern and western halves of Eurasia into account.

Bio:

Kubilay Atik is a historian who after staying in Xiamen University as a Hanban New China Studies fellow between 2015-2018 began working in Nevsehir University department of history. His work covers the diplomatic history of Medieval East Asia putting the Eurasian polities at its center (ie. Khitans, Jurchens and Mongols). He employs English School of International Relations to the states system and politics of East and Inner Asia during the Eurasian ascendency between the 10^th-14^th centuries and beyond connecting his work to international relations and political science. He additionally teaches in Meiji University Faculty of Political Science in Japan and writes chapters for books covering Asia Pacific countries to the Ankara University Asia-Pacific Research Center book series. Lately he is working on early modern use of diplomacy by various Mongol polities in Eurasia following Chinese and Russian expansion into Central Eurasia.