Dick Scott, a former USAID representative and longtime veteran of Central Asian affairs, often disagrees with the State Department regarding U.S. policies in Afghanistan.

He should know. Since serving his first tour of duty with the U.S. Military Mission for Aid to Turkey in 1955, Scott has built a life of traveling to investigate the unique Central Eurasian cultures that have captured the public attention since Sept.11, 2001.

Scott will share his perspective on the culture and art of the Central Asian region and will challenge the Steamboat Springs community to rethink its assessment of a rich and diverse culture that many know only through television and movies. He will speak at 7 p.m. June 19 at Chase Oriental Rug Company.

For the past 48 years, Scott has worked in central and western Asia, serving at various times the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, the Peace Corps, the Fulbright Commission, Middle East Technical University, the U.S. and Turkish air forces, the International Narcotics Office of the State Department, and the Pashto Service of the Voice of America.

Throughout his diverse service in government and industry, Scott has become intimately acquainted with the region that is now a central focus of U.S. foreign policy.

During the 1960s, Scott developed an interest in the tribal rugs and kilims of Turkey, and during the 1970s and 1980s, he worked primarily in Afghanistan where he met Turkmen and Ozbek carpet dealers and increased his understanding of tribal culture and industry.

From witnessing the devastating affects of Soviet occupation to the mass exodus of Afghani refuges to Pakistan in the early 1980s, Scott has developed a deep understanding of the region which produced both the mujaheddin and some of the most breathtaking works of traditional art in the world.

Drawing on personal anecdotes and a vast knowledge of traditional weaving cultures in Central Asia, Scott will present a free lecture on the Afghani people and the art they create.

Based on his most recent visit to the country just prior to the U.S. war in Iraq, Scott will describe the art and culture of a people in transition. He will discuss the complex yet simple society that has become the focus of so much interest and misunderstanding.

Call 879-5667 to RSVP for the June 19 lecture.