Kyrgyzstan: Central Asia's Island of Democracy?

by John Anderson

Born out of the collapse of the USSR, Kyrgyzstan has been notable for its struggle to develop a pluralist polity and free market, an attempt that distinguishes it from some of its more authoritarian neighbors. This volume introduces students and businessmen to this most attractive of republics, offering an overview of its history, politics, economic development, and place in the international community. In particular, it focuses on the problematic nature of political development, with democratic and pluralist impulses struggling to survive against the dominance of more traditional forms of governance.

Genres: History

107 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 1999

About the author

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John Anderson is a lecturer in International relations at the University of St. Andrews. He is the author of several book chapters and journal articles on religion and politics in the former Soviet Bloc, and between 1988 and 1990 he was editor of the Keston College Journal, Religion in Communist Lands.

Reviews

[Luke Jensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This overview is most useful and interesting as an examination of what Western feelings were towards Kyrgyzstan and Post-Soviet Central Asia in the 90s, than it is particularly accurate, or enlightening on the current events politically, or socially in Kyrgyzstan today. There are aspects of the analysis that I think are almost comedic in nature when looking with hindsight, and the inescapable reality that the American (and Western European) publics could not care less about Central Asia.

[Mandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book at the recommendation of a Kyrgyzstani friend since I will soon be working on a project about the country. Although a bit dry, the book provides a good primer on Kyrgyzstan -- at least up until 1999, which is when it was published. Not surprisingly, I kept asking myself how things look today in comparison, but at least it's a start and offers a good look at the country's history.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Swift and straight to the point primer on the political landscape of Kyrgyzstan in the 1990s. Does a good job of touching on the historical, economic, and ethnic issues that created said environment and provides a good start for understanding how the 1990s have an effect on the political landscape now. Some spelling and grammatical errors throughout though that were hopefully cleaned up at some point after this printing.

[Ramón · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty sparse on information, but seemingly well cited. There just wasn't a lot here to chew on, even for someone like me who has very little knowledge about Kyrgyzstan.