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Central Asia in the Era of Sovereignty

The Return of Tamerlane?

Edited by Daniel L. Burghart and Theresa Sabonis-Helf - Contributions by Laura Adams; Svetlana Ancker; Daniel L. Burghart; Yuhao Du; Stacie L. Giles; Roger D. Kangas; Elena Kovalova; Marlene Laruelle; Saltanat Liebert; Erica Marat; Mariya Y. Omelicheva; Sebastien Peyrouse; Timothy Rowe; Theresa Sabonis-Helf; Dena Sholk; Sophia Srinivasan; Måns Svensson; Robert Timm; Rustamjon Urinboyev; Vivian Walker and Richard Wheeler

After twenty-five years of independence, there is little doubt that the five Central Asian states will persist as sovereign, independent states. They increasingly differ from each other, and are making their way in global politics. No longer connected only to Russia, they are now connected in important ways to Afghanistan, South Asia, China, Iran, and each other. This volume covers a wide range of issues and presents the work of emerging scholars authors well-known for their expertise in the region. The first part addresses social issues. Covering a wide range from HIV/AIDs to social media, the rebirth of Islam, outmigration, and problematic borders, this section follows two main currents: political development in the region and states’ responses to transboundary challenges. The second part, addressing economics and security, provides analyses of new infrastructure, informal economies (from bazaars to criminal networks), energy development, the role of enclaves in the Ferghana Valley, and the development of the states’ military structures. This section illuminates the interactions between economic developments and security, and the forces that could undermine both. The final part, comprised of five case studies, offers a “deeper dive” into a specific factor that matters in the development of each Central Asian state. These cases include Kazakhstan’s foreign policy identity, Kyrgyzstan’s domestic politics, Tajikistan’s pursuit of hydropower, foreign direct investment in Turkmenistan, and the perception of everyday corruption in Uzbekistan.

Lexington Books

Pages: 544 • Trim: 6½ x 9¼

978-1-4985-7266-8 • Hardback • March 2018 • $184.00 • (£142.00)

978-1-4985-7268-2 • Paperback • July 2019 • $60.99 • (£47.00)

978-1-4985-7267-5 • eBook • March 2018 • $57.50 • (£44.00)

Series: Contemporary Central Asia: Societies, Politics, and Cultures

Subjects: Political Science / World / Asian, History / Asia / Central Asia, Political Science / International Relations / General

Central Asia in the Era of Sovereignty

The Return of Tamerlane?

Hardback

Paperback

eBook

Summary

After twenty-five years of independence, there is little doubt that the five Central Asian states will persist as sovereign, independent states. They increasingly differ from each other, and are making their way in global politics. No longer connected only to Russia, they are now connected in important ways to Afghanistan, South Asia, China, Iran, and each other. This volume covers a wide range of issues and presents the work of emerging scholars authors well-known for their expertise in the region. The first part addresses social issues. Covering a wide range from HIV/AIDs to social media, the rebirth of Islam, outmigration, and problematic borders, this section follows two main currents: political development in the region and states’ responses to transboundary challenges. The second part, addressing economics and security, provides analyses of new infrastructure, informal economies (from bazaars to criminal networks), energy development, the role of enclaves in the Ferghana Valley, and the development of the states’ military structures. This section illuminates the interactions between economic developments and security, and the forces that could undermine both. The final part, comprised of five case studies, offers a “deeper dive” into a specific factor that matters in the development of each Central Asian state. These cases include Kazakhstan’s foreign policy identity, Kyrgyzstan’s domestic politics, Tajikistan’s pursuit of hydropower, foreign direct investment in Turkmenistan, and the perception of everyday corruption in Uzbekistan.

Details

Lexington Books

Pages: 544 • Trim: 6½ x 9¼

978-1-4985-7266-8 • Hardback • March 2018 • $184.00 • (£142.00)

978-1-4985-7268-2 • Paperback • July 2019 • $60.99 • (£47.00)

978-1-4985-7267-5 • eBook • March 2018 • $57.50 • (£44.00)

Series: Contemporary Central Asia: Societies, Politics, and Cultures

Subjects: Political Science / World / Asian, History / Asia / Central Asia, Political Science / International Relations / General

Author

Daniel L. Burghart is professor of national security and Eurasian studies at the National Intelligence University.

Theresa Sabonis-Helf is professor of national security strategy at the National War College.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Central Asia in an Era of Sovereignty: The Return of Tamerlane? Daniel L. Burghart and Theresa Sabonis-Helf
Part I: Social Issues
Chapter 1: The Borderlands Paradox: Framing Central Asia’s Current Economic and Security Challenges, Vivian Walker
Chapter 2: Legal Reform in Central Asia: Moving Past History, Roger D. Kangas
Chapter 3: Human Rights and Governance in Central Asia, Mariya Y. Omelicheva
Chapter 4: HIV/AIDS Responses in Central Asia, Svetlana Ancker
Chapter 5: Sorting Central Asia Social Media, Stacie L. Giles
Chapter 6: The Evolution of the IMU and its Communication Strategy: Public Relations or Survival? Sebastien Peyrouse
Chapter 7: Brain Waste? Integration of Central Asian and Georgian Labor Migrants in the United States, Saltanat Liebert
Part II: Economics and Security
Chapter 8: One Belt One Road: Realizing the “China Dream” in Central Asia? Yuhao Du
Chapter 9: Infrastructure and the Political Economies of Central Asia, Theresa Sabonis-Helf
Chapter 10: Great Game Changers? The Changing Nature of Central Asian Energy, Daniel L. Burghart
Chapter 11: Multilateral Engagement with Central Asia on Energy Issues, Richard Wheeler
Chapter 12: Kazakhstan’s Bazaar Economy: A Second-Best Institution, Dena Sholk
Chapter 13: The Fifth Estate: Illicit Networks in Central Asia, Elena Kovalova
Chapter 14: Problematic Puzzle Pieces: Enclaves and Conflict in the Ferghana Valley, Timothy Rowe
Chapter 15: The Security Forces, Robert Timm
Part III: Case Studies
Chapter 16: Kazakhstan’s Dilemma on Eurasian and Central Asian Integration, Marlene Laruelle
Chapter 17: Kyrgyzstan’s Experiments with Democracy, Erica Marat
Chapter 18: Tajikistan’s Roghun Dam: Understanding Rahmon’s “Palace of Light,” Theresa Sabonis-Helf
Chapter 19: Foreign Direct Investment in the Oil & Gas Sector of Turkmenistan, Sophia Srinivasan
Chapter 20: Everyday Governance in Post-Soviet Uzbekistan, Laura Adams, Måns Svensson, and Rustamjon Urinboyev

Reviews

This important volume provides a comprehensive overview of political, economic, and social developments in post-Soviet Central Asia. It will be of remarkable assistance to policymakers and scholars who seek to keep up with the dynamic situation in the region. Quite remarkably, the chapters are firmly grounded in history and theory, so they will not lose currency in the years to come.

— The Russian Review

This is a comprehensive, expertly written and well-documented book on the complex and multifaceted policies of Central Asia. Twenty-one scholars—the best in the field—provide a fascinating account of the rivalries and tensions, the friendships and enmities, the areas of cooperation and the potential for conflict among this group of countries. Both academic and lay readers will find the volume accessible and informative.
— Gawdat Bahgat, National Defense University

This book is an excellent introduction to an historic and increasingly strategic region of the world to which the United States should pay greater attention. The essays cover all the key issues: geopolitics, international relations, security, economic development, social and cultural challenges, and natural resources, especially the vast hydrocarbon deposits of the Caspian basin. From my own twenty years of experience representing the United States in Central Asia, I can tell you that this book gets it right.
— Richard E. Hoagland

Central Asia in the Era of Sovereignty

The Return of Tamerlane?

Central Asia in the Era of Sovereignty

The Return of Tamerlane?

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