The Russian Policy Debate on Central Asia

The Russian Policy Debate on Central Asia PDF Author: Irina Donovna Zvi︠a︡gelʹskai︠a︡
Publisher: Chatham House (Formerly Riia)
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 62

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Book Description
Russian policy towards the other countries of the former Soviet Union, among them the central Asian states, is in a state of flux. In the last few years the trend has been from isolationism (1991-2) through reluctant involvement (1992-4) towards reintegration. The paper analyzes the main strands of thinking and the principal players and interest groups shaping Russian policy towards central Asia and seeks to establish likely future directions.

The Russian Policy Debate on Central Asia

The Russian Policy Debate on Central Asia PDF Author: Irina Donovna Zvi︠a︡gelʹskai︠a︡
Publisher: Chatham House (Formerly Riia)
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 62

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Book Description
Russian policy towards the other countries of the former Soviet Union, among them the central Asian states, is in a state of flux. In the last few years the trend has been from isolationism (1991-2) through reluctant involvement (1992-4) towards reintegration. The paper analyzes the main strands of thinking and the principal players and interest groups shaping Russian policy towards central Asia and seeks to establish likely future directions.

Russia's Central Asia Policy and the Role of Russian Nationalism

Russia's Central Asia Policy and the Role of Russian Nationalism PDF Author: Marlène Laruelle
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789185937165
Category : Asia, Central
Languages : en
Pages : 79

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Book Description
Issues concerning relations between Russia and Central Asia in the geostrategic and economic realms are well-known. Much has been said about the rapprochement between these countries, which has been very visible since 2000 and even more pronounced since 2005, as it undermines the power of influence the United States and Europe have in the region. But very little is known about the specific place that Central Asia occupies in Russian political and intellectual life. However, with the rise of nationalism and xenophobia in Russian society, a detailed analysis is warranted of the opinions held by the various nationalist currents in relation to Central Asia. For many years, a profound reordering of the Russian political scene has been underway: the so-called liberal currents have been marginalized, while the nationalist parties have enjoyed a rapid rise.

The Fight for Influence

The Fight for Influence PDF Author: Alexey Malashenko
Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
ISBN: 0870034138
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 310

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Book Description
Russian influence in Central Asia is waning. Since attaining independence, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan have forged their own paths—building relationships with outside powers and throwing off the last vestiges of Soviet domination. But in many ways, Moscow still sees Central Asia through the lens of the Soviet Union, and it struggles to redefine Russian relations with the region. In The Fight for Influence, Alexey Malashenko offers a comprehensive analysis of Russian policies and prospects in Central Asia. It is clear that Russian policy in the formerly Soviet-controlled region is entering uncharted territory. But does Moscow understand the fundamental shifts under way? Malashenko argues that it is time for Russia to rethink its approach to Central Asia. Contents 1. Wasted Opportunities 2. Regional Instruments of Influence 3. Russia and Islam in Central Asia: Problems of Migration 4. Kazakhstan and Its Neighborhood 5. Kyrgyzstan—The Exception 6. Tajikistan: Authoritarian, Fragile, and Facing Difficult Challenges 7. Turkmenistan: No Longer Exotic, But Still Authoritarian 8. Uzbekistan: Is There a Potential for Change? Conclusion Who Challenges Russia in Central Asia?

Russia's New Authoritarianism

Russia's New Authoritarianism PDF Author: Lewis David G. Lewis
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
ISBN: 1474454798
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 324

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Book Description
David G. Lewis explores Russia's political system under Putin by unpacking the ideological paradigm that underpins it. He investigates the Russian understanding of key concepts such as sovereignty, democracy and political community. Through the dissection of a series of case studies - including Russia's legal system, the annexation of Crimea, and Russian policy in Syria - Lewis explains why these ideas matter in Russian domestic and foreign policy.

Language Politics in Contemporary Central Asia

Language Politics in Contemporary Central Asia PDF Author: Jacob M. Landau
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 0857720856
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 288

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Book Description
Nationalist leaders in the former Soviet states strive for national identity in both the political and cultural domains. Their language policies contend with Russian-speaking intelligentsias, numerous ethnic minorities and sizeable Russian communities backed by the Russian Federation - all presenting major challenges to facing the legacy of Soviet rule. Drawing on many years of research, interviews with educators and officials, and visits to the region, Barbara Kellner-Heinkele and Jacob M. Landau explore the politics of language and its intersection with identity in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. With special attention to language education in schools and universities within each state and debates over bilingualism versus multilingualism, their insights offer researchers of politics, linguistics and Central Asian studies a comprehensive account of a highly politicised debate.

Central Peripheries

Central Peripheries PDF Author: Marlene Laruelle
Publisher: UCL Press
ISBN: 1800080131
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 262

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Book Description
Central Peripheries explores post-Soviet Central Asia through the prism of nation-building. Although relative latecomers on the international scene, the Central Asian states see themselves as globalized, and yet in spite of – or perhaps precisely because of – this, they hold a very classical vision of the nation-state, rejecting the abolition of boundaries and the theory of the ‘death of the nation’. Their unabashed celebration of very classical nationhoods built on post-modern premises challenges the Western view of nationalism as a dying ideology that ought to have been transcended by post-national cosmopolitanism. Marlene Laruelle looks at how states in the region have been navigating the construction of a nation in a post-imperial context where Russia remains the dominant power and cultural reference. She takes into consideration the ways in which the Soviet past has influenced the construction of national storylines, as well as the diversity of each state’s narratives and use of symbolic politics. Exploring state discourses, academic narratives and different forms of popular nationalist storytelling allows Laruelle to depict the complex construction of the national pantheon in the three decades since independence. The second half of the book focuses on Kazakhstan as the most hybrid national construction and a unique case study of nationhood in Eurasia. Based on the principle that only multidisciplinarity can help us to untangle the puzzle of nationhood, Central Peripheries uses mixed methods, combining political science, intellectual history, sociology and cultural anthropology. It is inspired by two decades of fieldwork in the region and a deep knowledge of the region’s academia and political environment. Praise for Central Peripheries ‘Marlene Laruelle paves the way to the more focused and necessary outlook on Central Asia, a region that is not a periphery but a central space for emerging conceptual debates and complexities. Above all, the book is a product of Laruelle's trademark excellence in balancing empirical depth with vigorous theoretical advancements.’ – Diana T. Kudaibergenova, University of Cambridge ‘Using the concept of hybridity, Laruelle explores the multitude of historical, political and geopolitical factors that predetermine different ways of looking at nations and various configurations of nation-building in post-Soviet Central Asia. Those manifold contexts present a general picture of the transformation that the former southern periphery of the USSR has been going through in the past decades.’ – Sergey Abashin, European University at St Petersburg

Institutional Change and Political Continuity in Post-Soviet Central Asia

Institutional Change and Political Continuity in Post-Soviet Central Asia PDF Author: Pauline Jones Luong
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139432281
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 345

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Book Description
The establishment of electoral systems in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan presents both a complex set of empirical puzzles and a theoretical challenge. Why did three states with similar cultural, historical, and structural legacies establish such different electoral systems? How did these distinct outcomes result from strikingly similar institutional design processes? Explaining these puzzles requires understanding not only the outcome of institutional design but also the intricacies of the process that led to this outcome. Moreover, the transitional context in which these three states designed new electoral rules necessitates an approach that explicitly links process and outcome in a dynamic setting. This book provides such an approach. Finally, it both builds on the key insights of the dominant approaches to explaining institutional origin and change and transcends these approaches by moving beyond the structure versus agency debate.

Russia's Policy Toward Central Asia

Russia's Policy Toward Central Asia PDF Author: Sergei Gretzky
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Asia, Central
Languages : en
Pages : 64

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Book Description


Russian Nationalism, Foreign Policy and Identity Debates in Putin's Russia

Russian Nationalism, Foreign Policy and Identity Debates in Putin's Russia PDF Author: Marlene
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 3838263251
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 163

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Book Description
The contributors to this book discuss the new conjunctions that have emerged between foreign policy events and politicized expressions of Russian nationalism since 2005. The 2008 war with Georgia, as well as conflicts with Ukraine and other East European countries over the memory of the Soviet Union, and the Russian interpretation of the 2005 French riots have all contributed to reinforcing narratives of Russia as a fortress surrounded by aggressive forces, in the West and CIS. This narrative has found support not only in state structures, but also within the larger public. It has been especially salient for some nationalist youth movements, including both pro-Kremlin organizations, such as "Nashi," and extra-systemic groups, such as those of the skinheads. These various actors each have their own specific agendas; they employ different modes of public action, and receive unequal recognition from other segments of society. Yet many of them expose a reading of certain foreign policy events which is roughly similar to that of various state structures. These and related phenomena are analyzed, interpreted and contextualized in papers by Luke March, Igor Torbakov, Jussi Lassila, Marlène Laruelle, and Lukasz Jurczyszyn.

Central Asia

Central Asia PDF Author: Alekseĭ Mikhaĭlovich Vasilʹev
Publisher: Saqi Books
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 288

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Book Description
This work focuses on the challenges facing the newly independent states of Central Asia - Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kirgizia and Tadjikistan. It examines the political events and socio-economic changes which followed the disintegration of the Soviet Union.