Islamic finance is a rather recent phenomenon in Central Asia. Only with the beginning of the financial crisis in 2007 did the cooperation between the states and the Islamic Development Bank result in domestic initiatives to establish forms of Islamic banking. The case studies in this article indicate a correlation between the subsequent development of such initiatives and the unfolding political crises. The states in Central Asia were eager to connect to available streams of Islamic investment capital in the early stages of the financial crisis. Their commitment to further adapt, however, declined when they entered periods of political crisis that brought about quick and sudden reshuffles of reform priorities.
The parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan in October 2015 garnered widespread approval from commentators for the level of fairness and freedom maintained throughout the campaign. However, the results of the vote do not provide a clear indication of the current state of affairs of parliamentarism in the republic. Focusing on the commercialization of party lists, we argue that neither identity politics nor the logic of neopatrimonialism adequately explain the dynamics of political competition in Kyrgyzstan. Instead, we see perpetual uncertainty emerging from contradicting yet increasing attempts to harness the capital of privatized party lists and to impose discipline. Eventually, and beyond short-term threats of an emerging super-presidentialism, Kyrgyzstan risks suffering from hollow parliamentarism, with political parties persistently failing to supply legislative initiatives with substantial agendas and adequate professionals. The weakly institutionalized political parties and their short-sighted electoral strategies undermine both the parliamentary system and its political pluralism.
Die öffentliche Meinung bildet in der Moderne eine Voraussetzung für den politischen Streit. Eine Welt globaler Verflechtungen stellt diese Beziehung jedoch zunehmend vor neue Herausforderungen. Alexander Wolters' Fallstudie über die Republik Kyrgyzstan nach 2005 bietet faszinierende Einblicke in das störanfällige Verhältnis zwischen Politik und Öffentlichkeit jenseits der westlichen Welt: Die zunehmende Simulation politischer Konflikte setzt hier selbstreferentielle Prozesse in Gang, in denen Akteuren auf Dauer die Rationalität für ihr Handeln genommen wird. Dieser Befund erklärt nicht nur Entwicklungen in Zentralasien, sondern er verdeutlicht auch die generellen Strukturdefizite von Politik in Zeiten der Globalisierung.
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