Promoting Democracy in Central Asia: What’s Needed and Why It Won’t Happen

Abstract

This paper examines barriers to US and EU democracy promotion in Central Asia from an unusual angle. It focuses on constraints that stem from shortcomings in the practices of the democracy promoters themselves. This focus is particularly pertinent given the current »backlash against democracy promotion«. Three main issues are explored in the context of democ racy promotion in Central Asia motivation, legitimacy and commitment all found to be lacking. Democracy is based on a set of norms and values, yet if democracy promotion itself does not uphold these, then its own credibility is undermined. In the Central Asian case, the principled pursuit of democratic reform is unlikely, with democracy promotion either trumped by competing foreign policy objectives, or regarded as instrumental and thus disposable. Likely consequences are antithetical to democratisation in the region, with the outcome of democracy demotion not promotion.