Central Asian Nations Research Articles

Ethnicity and Civil Society in Contemporary Afghanistan

This article focuses on the critical question of ethnicity and politics in Afghanistan. It examines current conceptual models of ethnicity and their application to present-day political affairs in the country. Research shows that it is not the presence of ethnic groups per se that leads to violence or instability but the absence of civil society and democratic governance and norms. Lessons may be drawn from Afghanistan's neighbors to the north. These Central Asian nations present cases of emerging civil societies, which are fragile, fragmented, and strongly influenced by the international donor community. After 23 years of war in Afghanistan, repression and neglect have had a devastating effect on civil society.

The Navruz experiment: Cooperative monitoring for radionuclides and metals in Central Asia transboundary rivers

In March of 2000, scientists from four nuclear physics research institutes in the Central Asia Republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, and the U.S. Sandia National Laboratories embarked on a three-year cooperative transboundary river monitoring experiment. The experiment, named Navruz (meaning “new beginning”), uses standardized methods to monitor basic water quality parameters, radionuclides, and metals in the Syr Darya and Amu Darya rivers. Overall, the project addresses three main goals: (1) to help increase capabilities in Central Asian nations for sustainable water resources management; (2) to provide a scientific basis for supporting nuclear transparency and non-proliferation in the region; and (3) to help reduce the threat of conflict in Central Asia over water resources. Contamination of these rivers is a result of growing population, urbanization, agricultural uses, and radioactive and metals contamination from a legacy of uranium mining, industry, and other activities of the former Soviet Union. The project focuses on waterborne radionuclides and metals because of the importance of these contaminants to public health and political stability in Central Asia. Moreover, the method of enabling scientists from bordering countries to study a transboundary problem, can lead to a greater scientific understanding, consensus on necessary mitigation steps, and ultimately the political resolution of the issue. The project scope, approach, and preliminary results are presented.

Некоторые размышления после дискуссии о национализме в Узбекистане

SUMMARY: Sergei Abashin suggests two reasons for the relative isolation of indigenous Central Asian scholarship. The first is the officially supported Soviet theory of etnos , which proved to be a useful tool for describing independent nationhood in ways different from the Marxist orthodoxy. At the same time, Abashin suggests that the often arrogant critique of the Soviet legacy by Western scholars contributes to the relative isolationism of Central Asian scholarship. In Abashin’s view, “constructivist” approaches to the history of Central Asian nations should go beyond conspiracy theory and attempt to answer questions about the relative success of the massive reconfiguration of Central Asia’s social and political map that was Soviet nation-building. Moreover, these approaches tend to reproduce the nation-centered historical paradigm, while the task now is to include various ethnic, confessional, and social groups in a new non-ethnic and non-nation-centered history of Central Asia.

Veiled Empire: Gender and Power in Stalinist Central Asia by Douglas Northrop (review)

594 Рецензии/Reviews Akim ELNAZAROV Douglas Northrop, Veiled Empire : Gender and Power in Stalinist Central Asia (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2004). 416 p. 5 tables, 5 maps, 37 halftones. Index. ISBN: 0-8014-8891-5. The book under review represents a positive and an important contribution to the growing literature on the history of the Central Asian republics during the Soviet period. It aims to provide a complete picture of one of the most fascinating stories of the ways in which the Central Asian nations were incorporated into the Soviet Empire – the unveiling campaign. The author describes this campaign in Uzbekistan, a country that stands at the heart of Central Asia. He provides a systematic and comprehensive analysis of the socalled hujum (assault against veils), from the establishment of Soviet rule to the beginning of World War Two, which drastically diverted the attention from the hujum to fending off the German assault. The unveiling of Uzbek women marked a significant and conspicuous sign of Soviet intervention into the life of Central Asian Muslims, and challenged the very fabric of their identity. As such it provoked widespread resistance across the Central Asian republics to the Soviet Empire and the new Soviet identity. This resistance was multifaceted, involving many layers of society, from peasants in remote villages to members of the communist party, who tried to accommodate their new roles and positions within their cultural, social, and religious affiliations. The process of unveiling and “re-veiling” is well depicted in the monograph. The analysis draws upon extensive and substantial material from various archives that were previously inaccessible for critical research agendas, or when used, simply depicted pro-Soviet sentiments and interests with an insufficiently critical outlook. The author manages 595 Ab Imperio, 3/2004 to provide the other side of the story: the complexity and subtleties of the unveiling campaign, its successes and pitfalls, and the challenges Soviet authorities could hardly acknowledge but had to deal with. The arguments and assumptions proposed by the author are substantiated by the voices of the people who experienced and led this transition. By pointing out the intricacies of this campaign, the author reveals the extent of Soviet power and domination over the CentralAsian republics. He underlines the fact that Central Asian Muslims were not simply recipients of Moscow’s directives and orders, but demonstrated covertly and overtly their own interpretations and, when necessary, resisted in order to preserve the attributes of their identity, in particular the veiling and seclusion of women. Despite these strengths, the book needs to be approached with a certain critical eye. The author seems to overemphasize the extent of Soviet hegemony in Uzbekistan, comparing it to the British Empire and its campaigns in India. He looks at the whole situation of the unveiling campaign from a colonial perspective , which limits the overarching nature of the transformation of Central Asian Muslims. The values and principles advocated and perhaps reinforced by coercive Soviet measures are underestimated. Perhaps resistance would have been more persistent if the principles of social justice and equality were adhered to. Yet opportunities for women to work and advance in their careers as well as be more active members of society were simply rhetoric and far from reality. The author concedes, though with a certain bias against the Soviet system, that the religious clergy and boi (wealthy people who lost their property in the Soviet system ) stood behind the many upheavals against the unveiling campaign. It was also apparent that the social changes advocated by the Communists did not match their interests, depriving them of the benefits the social structure bestowed on them. Questions may arise in the mind of the reader regarding the importance of the unveiling of women in Central Asia: “Was the campaign for unveiling of women the right approach taken by the party or they should have been left veiled?”, “Were there other alternatives to liberating the women while they remained veiled?” These and many similar questions remain unexplored in the book, which probably stems from the relativistic approach undertaken by the author. Such an approach could be looked upon as one of the strengths of the book, which allows the author to observe the complexity and...

KAZAK LAW ON NATURAL RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT I: BASICS

In the struggle for investor dollars, the Central Asian Republic of Kazakstan seems to be leaving its rivals in the dust. One reason for its success is a more receptive attitude towards investment on the part of senior official; but another is a strong law reform program which, alone, has produced the first tax code in the CIS, a new Foreign Investment Law, a comprehensive securities law and legislation dealing with petroleum and mineral rights, and licencing procedures. Gold and other precious metals are also an important attraction to Kazakstan. New precious metals law is discussed herein. In the competition for mineral resource investor dollars, two Central Asian republics continue to widen their lead over Russia in their ability to offer a stable working environment and terms which come closer to international and industry standards, particularly with respect to precious metals. This lead is significant among other things because the Russian blocking position (that is, Russia's ability to deny the landlocked Central Asian nations access to international markets) in the precious metals area is far weaker than it is in the case of mineral resources which are bulkier and more complicated to transport, like oil, gas and pig iron. As one industry spokesman recently remarked in an interview with the Financial Times, The Russians may have a stranglehold on pipeline projects, but gold bullion can simply be loaded on a plane and flown out. We will waive bye-bye to the Russians at 30,000 feet as we fly over them. Law on Precious Metals and Stones (the Law), which went into effect on July 22, 1995, allows foreign investors and legal entities with foreign participation to export precious metals processed from raw materials mined in Kazakstan and establishes domestic market of precious metals. This long awaited law is of the highest significance to foreign investors and it represents a decisive step towards

Assessment of quality management practice in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan

This study is an assessment of the impact of quality management training on workplace experience in a republic of the former Soviet Union. This preliminary study indicates that initial focus of quality in the republic is “conformance to specifications, and the reliance on improved engineering and operations”. While the concept of quality in an individual context is prized and recognized, when it comes to the collective, the emphasis is on quantity over quality. The immediate need is for training in principles, tools and practice of continuous improvement for a broad base of the population. The findings are particularly significant as they have implications for policy makers responsible for guiding the fledgling market economy that is developing in Kyrgyzstan in particular and other central Asian nations in general, to world class competitiveness.

Emerging mineral policy and legislation in the economic development of the Central Asian Republics

With the dissolution of the former Soviet Union in 1991, the nations of Central Asia gained independence and began the transition to market driven economies. Within the CARs, Uzbekistan has the most complete code of foreign investment laws, followed by Kyrgyzstan, Kazakstan and Tajikistan, respectively. However, the investment codes are (a) generally unclear and often contradictory, (b) legal advice is difficult to obtain and (c) administrative and judicial support of the law is rudimentary in the CAR nations. Kazakstan leads the way in its development of mineral legislation amongst the CAR nations, whereas Tajikistan is the least developed. Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, respectively, have some recent legislation but have yet to develop the necessary protections and procedures to warrant investor confidence in their legislative and administrative schemes. Presently enacted mineral-related legislation in the Central Asian Nations is best regarded more as legislative `principles' rather than actual legislative, regulatory and administrative frameworks and procedures for mineral development. As a result most foreign investors in the mineral sector are opting to negotiate detailed agreements with the government rather than to rely on the existing legislation.

The Islamic Factor in Nationalism and Nation-Building in Uzbekistan: Causative Agent or Inhibitor?

Nationalism became the bane of the Soviet empire. The disintegration of the USSR due to nationalistic forces has occurred with a swiftness that few, if any, Western Sovietologists anticipated. The four Central Asian states, with high rates of population growth and a strategic location at the crossroads of Europe, the Middle East and South Asia, now acquire a new significance. Of these Uzbekistan, with a population of twenty million, seventy percent of whom belong to the titular national group, looms largest in terms of demographic and economic potential. The population of Uzbekistan is almost twice as large as the other nascent Central Asian nations combined, and despite severe ecological damage, produces almost two thirds of the cotton in the region, along with natural gas, gold and other minerals.