Civil Society and Politics in Central Asia (Asia in the New Millennium)

by Charles E. Ziegler (Editor), Reuel Hanks (Contributor)

New
Hardcover
2014
$71.94

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.

Synopsis

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.

$71.94

Quantity

20+ in stock

More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 368
Publisher: The University Press of Kentucky
Published: 29 Dec 2014
ISBN 10: 0813150779
ISBN 13: 9780813150772

Media Reviews

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

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

Author Bio

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.