GEORGE SOROS IN CENTRAL ASIA
Abstract
George Soros is well known in Central Asia, primarily as a prominent philanthropist, the creator of the charity foundation of the same name, and a champion of new democracy. The Open Society Institute he founded is a conspicuous element in the region’s public life. And Soros’s protest against the combat actions in Iraq, the current critical attitude toward him in Russia, and his participation in the change in power in Georgia have only riveted the attention of the lo-cal political elite on this outstanding individual even more.
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Works by the representatives of positivism came to Central Asia (in Turkish translations) against the background of active non-acceptance of Marxism. For example, in the 1890s, Akhmad Donish was the first to doubt the feasibility of the socialist experiment for Turkestan, and even predicted the “bloody consequences” of future revolutions.
The historical role played by Mustafa Jemilev, leader of the Crimean Tatars and prominent human rights activist of the Turkic world, in the spiritual life of the peoples of Central Asia is a particular one. We do not think that the publications about him reveal all the aspects of this Soviet dissident’s participation in the regional democratic processes.
During socialism, philanthropy was qualified by official propaganda as a “way for the bourgeoisie to mask its parasit-ism by means of hypocritical and humiliating assistance to the poor in order to distract their attention away from the class struggle.”
The author remembers discussions on this topic that were held at the Regional Institute of Advanced Studies for Profes-sors of Social Sciences (Tashkent) and at the Philosophical Department of Lenin Tashkent State University.
But even before this, at the end of 1993, 182 Kazakhstani academics received financial support from George Soros.
nd his visits to Kazakhstan (October 1996 and June 2003) played a large part in strengthening the OSI network in Central Asia.
For more detail, see: [www.president.kz].
Specialists considered the conference held at the beginning of May 2004 on questions of labor migration, at which rep-resentatives of the Tajik government were present, constructive.
From a speech at the 11th Eurasian Media-Forum [www.president.kz].
See an excerpt from George Soros’s book The Bubble of American Supremacy, published in the British newspaper The Guardian.
This was clearly shown by the events in Georgia. The power of President M. Saakashvili, who enjoys the favor of George Soros, has only reinforced the presence of the local contingent among the foreign troops in Iraq.
See: G. Soros, The Bubble of American Supremacy.
See: Ibidem.
According to some data, one of the main reasons for the denial was that banned publications praising the activity of international terrorist Tohir Yoldosh and religious fundamentalists were included in the literature sent by the local OSI to higher learning institutions, which functionaries of low-level Soros structures were possibly involved in.
During his visit to Kyrgyzstan, George Soros denied the possibility of “anti-corruption payments” to this country. But he admitted that similar payments to the M. Saakashvili regime were increasing the assignations to the Georgian budget. “There is no such need in Kyrgyzstan, nor are there the conditions for introducing such measures,” said George Soros.
This demand was fully in the spirit of the Law on Nongovernmental Nonprofit Organizations, which was adopted with significant help from international experts.
During George Soros’s visit to Kyrgyzstan, representatives of the regional mass media focused their attention on his evaluation of the situation in Uzbekistan. He said that his Foundation “can work in Kyrgyzstan, but cannot work in Uzbekistan.”What is more, George Soros accused the region’s heads of state (obviously hinting at Uzbekistan) of attempting “to see their posts as lifetime positions.” The press actively commented on a statement by U.S. State Department spokesman Rich-ard Baucher of 23 April, 2004 in which a negative assessment was given of ceasing the activity of the Soros structure in Uzbekistan.
In Kazakhstan, the Soros structures are implementing the Kazakhstan Revenue Project, which is encouraging a public discussion about the use of funds obtained from the oil sector, as well as other measures, in particular seminars for the republic’s parliamentary deputies aimed at strengthening government control over these funds.
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