The five Central Asian states of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan constitute an area of increasing importance in global politics. The region currently serves as the main route for transporting American and NATO supplies and personnel into Afghanistan. Its Turkic Muslim peoples share ethnic and religious roots with China's Uighurs in neighboring Xinjiang, where some Uighurs have connections to the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan, fueling Beijing's already acute fears of terrorism and separatism.
Perhaps most importantly, the Caspian basin holds immense reserves of oil and natural gas. Countries rich in hydrocarbons-like Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan-can benefit greatly from this wealth, but often they must rely on foreign companies (usually backed by foreign governments) to develop these resources. Revolts in Kyrgyzstan (in 2005 and 2010) and Uzbekistan (in 2005); Tajikistan's civil war (in the 1990s); and continued terrorist incidents (2010-2011), strikes, and suicide bombings in Kazakhstan (in 2011) have contributed to concerns about stability in the region.
In Civil Society and Politics in Central Asia, a prominent group of scholars assesses both the area's manifold problems and its emerging potential, examining the often uneasy relationship between its states and the societies they govern. A meticulously in-depth study, the volume demonstrates the fascinating cultural complexity and diversity of Central Asia. Small, landlocked, and surrounded by larger powers, Central Asian nations have become adept at playing their neighbors against each other in order to maximize their own abilities to maneuver. The essays in this book look beyond the surface of Central Asian politics to discover the forces that are working for political change and continuity in this critical region of the world.
The five Central Asian states of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan constitute an area of increasing importance in global politics. The region currently serves as the main route for transporting American and NATO supplies and personnel into Afghanistan. Its Turkic Muslim peoples share ethnic and religious roots with China's Uighurs in neighboring Xinjiang, where some Uighurs have connections to the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan, fueling Beijing's already acute fears of terrorism and separatism.
Perhaps most importantly, the Caspian basin holds immense reserves of oil and natural gas. Countries rich in hydrocarbons-like Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan-can benefit greatly from this wealth, but often they must rely on foreign companies (usually backed by foreign governments) to develop these resources. Revolts in Kyrgyzstan (in 2005 and 2010) and Uzbekistan (in 2005); Tajikistan's civil war (in the 1990s); and continued terrorist incidents (2010-2011), strikes, and suicide bombings in Kazakhstan (in 2011) have contributed to concerns about stability in the region.
In Civil Society and Politics in Central Asia, a prominent group of scholars assesses both the area's manifold problems and its emerging potential, examining the often uneasy relationship between its states and the societies they govern. A meticulously in-depth study, the volume demonstrates the fascinating cultural complexity and diversity of Central Asia. Small, landlocked, and surrounded by larger powers, Central Asian nations have become adept at playing their neighbors against each other in order to maximize their own abilities to maneuver. The essays in this book look beyond the surface of Central Asian politics to discover the forces that are working for political change and continuity in this critical region of the world.
Introduction: Civil Society and Politics in Central Asia Social Capital and Development of Civil Society in Central Asia: A Path Dependency Perspective Islamization and Civil Society in Central Asia: Religion as Substrate in Conflict Management and Social Stability Islamic Revival and Civil Society in Kazakhstan Negotiating Social Activism: National Minority Associations in Kazakhstan or the Other Face of 'Civil Society' Non-State Health Care Provision in Central Asia: Cooperative or Competitive? Civil Service and Public Satisfaction: From Functions to Services -- the Case of Kazakhstan Civil Society in a Period of Transition: The Perspective from the State In Good Times and Hard Times: Civil Society Roles in Kyrgyzstan Today Civil Society in Chains: The Dynamics of Socio-Political Relations in Turkmenistan Bridging the Divide Between Neoliberal and Communal Civil Society in Tajikistan State, Civil Society Actors, and Political Instabilities in Post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan: The Changing International Context Conclusion
Charles E. Ziegler is professor of political science and Distinguished University Scholar at the University of Louisville, USA. He is the author or coeditor of several books, including Russia's Far East: A Region at Risk and Foreign Policy and East Asia: Learning and Adaptation in the Gorbachev Era.
"Overall, Charles Ziegler succeeds in his task to raise and answer
the very challenging question of how can civil societies develop,
survive, and carry out their missions in non-democratic regimes."
-- Slavic Review
"A timely and much-needed work that will interest a wide range of
scholars, teachers, and students of Central Asia. The volume
illuminates differences between Western and Asian conceptions of
civil society and explores the dilemmas of theorizing civil society
in authoritarian contexts." -- Mariya Y. Omelicheva, author of
Counterterrorism Policies in Central Asia
"An unparalleled book, bringing together some of the best scholars
and analysts to look at a critical element -- the role of civil
society -- in political development in a candid, informed,
theoretically rich, and policy-relevant study." -- Gregory Gleason,
author of Markets and Politics in Central Asia
"Central Asia is not a static part of the Eurasian continent. Its
five states participate in global processes, and the region can
influence them notably. Central Asia is closely connected with
Middle Eastern developments, takes part in the intrigues within the
China-US-Russia triangle. It is a direct neighbor of the
unpredictable Afghanistan. There are reasons to expect a beginning
of substantial social and political changes in the region. In two
its biggest countries -- Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan -- a leader
change might take place in the next few years. How the power
transition will go and end, how relations between state and society
will develop? All this will determine the region's fate for many
years to come." -- Alexey Malashenko, Carnegie Moscow Center
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