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Introduction to Central Asia(Part 3 – Country Profiles and Literature)

Rob KevlihanPresented at the Centre for International Studies, Dublin City University, April 2006

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KazakhstanOil rich state

Large Russian minority

Combination of civic and ethno-nationalist state building project

Government dominated by President

and surrounding cliquesGeographically vulnerable but playscards well

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UzbekistanLargest population but only third largeststate, and large Uzbek minorities in

other statesSome natural resources – mostly gas

 ‘Bully boy’ of the region

Human rights and the threat of Islamicextremism

Geo-strategic games – US versus Russia

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TurkmenistanExtensive natural resources – especiallygas

Small population, tribally based

 ‘Turkmenbashi’ – cult of personality andarbitrary rule

Neutral international posture

Human Rights concerns

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KyrgyzstanMountainous, resource poor state

 Acts as major water shed for

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan

Had been one of the better governed

Recent political instability – legacy of the Tulip ‘revolution’ 

Regional tensions – north versus south

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TajikistanPoorest state in the region – extremelymountainous, and most underdeveloped

Large scale economic migration of Tajiks toother states, including Russia

Legacy of civil war – weak state structures,poor infrastructure

On-going regional tensions despite control of state by Kulyabi elite

Something of a client state to Russia

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International Relations and

Central Asian ThemesMineral wealth – oil and gas and pipelinepolitics

Russian ‘Near Abroad’, US influence and roleof China

Human rights and democratization

Water management – decline of the Aral Sea

Economic reformWar on Terror and threat of Islamicextremism

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Ireland and Central AsiaRegion largely ignored by Irish policy makers

 – excluded from Asia strategy and very lowaid priority

Relations managed from Irish embassy inMoscow

Broadly support democratization, economic

transition and stabilityOSCE major vehicle for engagement

Some Irish business interests in Turkmenistan

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Ireland and Central AsiaSmall signs of increased Irish interest

Irish election monitors in Kazakhstan in

2005 electionEU sanctions imposed against Uzbekistanfor human rights violations

Irish Aid commitment to reviewgeographical funding priorities of Balkansand CIS Funding scheme

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ResourcesInternational Crisis Group

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

www.ferghana.ru

www.registan.net

Frontline Defenderswww.frontlinedefenders.org

SOAS Library in London

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Selected AuthorsPauline Jones Luong, Dawaisha andParrott (Central Asia in general /

transitions in region)Martha Brill Olcott, Bhana Dave, EdwardSchatz, Pauline Jones Luong, SallyCummings (Kazakhstan)

Shirin Akiner, Muriel Atkin (Tajikistan,Uzbekistan)

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Selected AuthorsEdward Allworth, Resul Yalsin(Uzbekistan)

 Adrienne Lynn Edgar (Turkmenistan)

Good general reads

The Great Game , Peter Hopkirk 

The Land Beyond the River , MonicaWhitlock 

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Note: SourcesMaps presented in this presentation wereaccessed on line from the following sites:

Political Map:http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/commonwealth/caucasus_cntrl_asia_pol_2003.jpg

Population density and Population groups:http://www.envsec.org

Others are accessible at www.cia.gov