THE MOMENT OF TRUTH: END OF THE TRANSITION PERIOD? (On the Democratic Initiative in the Central Asian States)
Abstract
A specter is haunting Central Asia—the specter of democracy. This is how the opening phrase of Marx and Engels’ Communist Manifesto should read in a region soon probably to be engulfed by a wave of “democratic revolutions.” We have already seen the Rose Revolution in Georgia, the Orange Revolution in Ukraine, and the Tulip Revolution in Kyrgyzstan. Journalists and political analysts readily agreed to treat the power changes in post-Soviet states as revolutions inspired by certain foreign funds and organizations or even by Western states.
We should bear in mind, however, that the epoch of post-Soviet leaders the newly independent states inherited from Soviet power, who are going on with the old policies, is drawing to an end.
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References
N.P. Walsh, “Ousted President Blames U.S. for Coup,” The Guardian, Thursday, 31 March, 2005.
S. Mikheev, “Kirgizia—zhertva durno poniatoy demokratii” [www.centrasia.ru], 31 March, 2005.
S. Cornell, N. Swanström, “Kyrgyzstan’s ‘Revolution’: Poppies Or Tulips?” Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst,Wednesday, 18 May, 2005.
“Vernost natsional’nomu dukhu,” Khalk suzi, 16 December, 2003 (Russian translation) [www.TRIBUNE-uz].
M. Matsaberidze, «The Rose Revolution and the Southern Caucasus,» Central Asia and the Caucasus, No. 2 (32),2005, p. 11.
U. Halbach, “Der Herbst der Patriarchen,” Der Tagesspiegel, 3 April, 2005.
See: S. Mikheev, op. cit.
Ibidem.
For more detail, see: F. Tolipov, “Democracy, Nationalism and Regionalism in Central Asia,” Central Asia and the Caucasus, No. 4, 2000.
For more detail, see: F. Tolipov, “National Democratism or Democratic Nationalism?” in: Security through De-mocratization? A Theoretically Based Analysis of Security-Related Democratization Efforts Made by the OSCE. Three Comparative Case Studies (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, 2003-2004), Center for OSCE Research, Hamburg,2004.
See: L. Tchantouridze, A. Lieverse, “On Geographic Space, Historical Continuity, and Identity,” in: Geopolitics:
lobal Problems and Regional Concerns, ed. by L. Tchantouridze, Center for Defense and Security Studies, Winnipeg,Manitoba, 2004, p. 2.
See: Y. Bodanski, “‘Demokraticheskaia revoliutsiia’ v Kyrgyzstane: mify i real’nost” [www.centrasia.org], 12 April,2005.
See: S. Huntington, “The Clash of Civilizations?” Foreign Affairs, No. 72 (3), Summer 1993, pp. 41, 48-49.
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