The contribution examines local-level ethnopolitics in post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan, particularly in the southern city of Osh, in 1990 site of one of the bloodiest inter-communal conflicts of the late Soviet era. First, instruments of managing multi-ethnicity are briefly introduced, with particular attention being paid to territorial autonomy, also a pillar of Soviet ethnofederal structure. Next, the contribution focuses on Uzbek ethnopolitics in Osh as a case study which illustrates how formal and informal politics shape state -minority relations in an ethnically mixed and post-conflict setting. The contribution argues that local authority figures and patron -client relations are key to understanding how Uzbek ethnopolitics unfolds and violence is prevented from re-occurring. A combination of informal and formal institutions accounts for preserving inter-ethnic stability in post-Soviet Osh.This paper seeks to address one of the central puzzles in the study of ethnic conflict: what prevents ethnic violence from (re-)occurring in places with recent history of violent conflict? The absence of violence-although not necessarily conflict-in the city of Osh, site of the largest and bloodiest inter-communal conflicts in post-Soviet Central Asia, is indeed empirically as well as theoretically puzzling. As a result, understanding what happened in post-Soviet Osh constitutes a particularly useful starting point for examining the more general question of identifying the factors that helped maintain inter-ethnic peace.In June 1990 tensions originating from perceptions of unfairly distributed land and housing erupted in a sudden and short-lived, but particularly bloody, series of riots 1 in the south of the Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan, then called Kirghizia. 2 Concentrated in the multi-ethnic city of Osh and the nearby town of Uzgen, 3 the Kyrgyz and Uzbek population clashed leaving about 200 people dead, and many more injured in what seemed to herald an era of ethnic conflict in the region (Naumkin, 1994;Rumer & Rumer, 1992). The conflict was not an isolated episode in Central Asia, and the clashes can be located in a broader trend of inter-communal violence and riots which marked the dusk of the Soviet era. Among similar types of events taking place in the USSR at the time, the Osh conflict was one of the largest and most violent (Tishkov, 1995, p. 134).
The geopolitical context, which emerged from the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, combined with Korea's growing economic prowess, enabled greater dynamism and diversification in Seoul's foreign policy-making. Growing pressure from energy-intensive economies coupled with new developments and investment in logistics and infrastructure has brought different parts of the Eurasian landmass closer together in recent years. Inter-Asian connections are especially growing. This article uses the case of deepening relations between Korea and the post-Soviet Central Asian republics as a vantage point to reflect on one such example of unfolding Asian inter-connectedness. In addition it sees Seoul's engagement in the region as a fitting example of Korea's broader ambitions to assert itself as a global economic player. The article shows that Korea's policy toward Central Asia has been primarily driven by energy needs and is defined by pragmatism. It finds that the economic dimension of the relationship has greatly overshadowed other aspects such as politics and security. In its pursuit of closer ties with the region Seoul has sought to turn structural weaknesses into added value and has attempted to develop a distinctive, non-threatening profile built around the lack of a political baggage and geopolitical ambitions, and the desire to share its experience of formerly impoverished turned leading economy. In turn, Central Asia's selective integration in the world economy has continued, also thanks to its ties with Korea. The Central Asian republics welcomed the opportunity to diversify their foreign relations, the sources of foreign investment and export routes. At the same time the opaque business environment, a leadership succession, which cannot be postponed for much longer, and Seoul's “no-strings attached” approach expose Korea to some risks as regime stability might not last forever.
The eviction of the USA from the military base at KhanabadQarshi and the signing of an alliance treaty between Uzbekistan and Russia in November 2005 marked one of the most dramatic turnarounds in international alliances in the post-cold-war era. This article shows that regime survival is a driving force behind Uzbekistan's realignment. It also argues that a full account of Uzbekistan's turnaround needs to take into consideration systemic factors, namely, an external environment in which Russia provided a viable strategic and economic alternative. The article concludes by suggesting how the "normative competition" in the region between Russia (and China) and the USA helps account for the timing of Uzbekistan's realignment.
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