Clan Politics and Regime Transition in Central Asia [Hardcover]

A study of the role of clan networks in Central Asia from the early twentieth century through 2004.This book is a study of the role of clan networks in Central Asia from the early Soviet period through 2004. The book explores the social, economic, and historical roots of clans, and their political role and political transformation in the Soviet and post-Soviet period. The book argues that in order to understand Central Asian politics and their economies today, scholars and policy makers must take into account the powerful role of clans, how they adapt and change over time, and how they affect political and economic reforms.This book is a study of the role of clan networks in Central Asia from the early Soviet period through 2004. The book explores the social, economic, and historical roots of clans, and their political role and political transformation in the Soviet and post-Soviet period. The book argues that in order to understand Central Asian politics and their economies today, scholars and policy makers must take into account the powerful role of clans, how they adapt and change over time, and how they affect political and economic reforms.Exploring the varied roots of clans, and their political role and transformation during the Soviet and post-Soviet periods, this volume argues that clans are informal political actors critical to understanding regional politics. It demonstrates that the Soviet system was far less successful in transforming and controlling Central Asian society by eradicating clan identities, than has often been assumed. Clans actually influenced and constrained the regime's political trajectory increasingly, during the later Soviet and post-Soviet periods, and made liberalizing political and economic reforms very difficult.List of Tables and Figures; Preface; Acknowledgements; Note on Transliteration; 1. An introduction to political development and transition in Central Asia; 2. Clan politics and regime transition in Central Asia: a frameworklÓÓ