Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, there has been much concern among observers and analysts around the world over what role Islam is to play in the political, economic and social spheres of life in newly independent Central Asian states. Traditionally, Islam is the dominant faith, but had been strongly influenced by the Soviet atheist ideology during the last seven decades before Central Asia became independent in 1991. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, some observers in the West depicted Central Asia as an extension of the Middle East, invoking fears that Islamic fundamentalism was to pose a serious threat to the stability in the region of Central Asia. In this thesis I analyzed the dynamism of Islamic revival in Central Asia&rsquo / s two post-Soviet states of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan through the prism of the imported phenomenon of &lsquo / Islamic fundamentalism&rsquo / . The thesis demonstrates that Islam in Central Asia is a natural process determined primarily by internal socio-economic and political conditions and not influenced by outside forces. In order to support this argument, I approached the problem by analyzing both external factors and internal conditions. The concluding argument is that even if Islam is to be radicalized it will be because of internal factors, such as authoritarianism, violation of human rights and repression of moderate manifestations of Islam from within, rather than because of the influence of Islamic fundamentalist forces from abroad.

The aim of this thesis is to examine the changing characteristics of the regional security complex in Central Asia. The thesis focuses on the changes in the roles that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) plays in promoting regional security in Central Asia, especially since the formation of the international coalition against international terrorism in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001. Contrary to the mainstream literature that focuses mainly on the security concerns of either regional powers or of great powers that considered this region as their own sphere of influence, this thesis argues that Central Asia&rsquo / s security issues that emerged in the aftermath of 9/11 could be explained better by taking the emerging regional security complex in Central Asia as the main unit of analysis. The thesis consists of seven chapters: In Chapter 1, thesis is introduced. Chapter 2 develops a conceptual framework for the thesis by examining the nature of regional security complex theory. This is followed by the examination of the characteristics of regional security complex in Central Asia in Chapter 3. Next, Chapter 4 discusses the foreign policies of the United States, Russia and China towards Central Asia. Chapters 5 and 6 examine the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, its role in the struggle against international terrorism and their reflections on the changes of the characteristics of Central Asian regional security complex. Last chapter concludes the thesis.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2004. / Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 527-542).

Thesis (M.A. in Security Studies (Defense Decision Making and Planning))--Naval Postgraduate School, June 2006. / Thesis Advisor(s): Anne L. Clunan, Thomas H. Johnson. "June 2006." Includes bibliographical references (p. 131-136). Also available via the World Wide Web.

This dissertation is about social mobilizations in rural Kyrgyzstan from 2010-2015. Following a constructivist approach, I aim to answer a puzzling question in regard to multiple but rarely sustainable protests in this global periphery: Under what conditions can provisional episodes of mobilization be transformed into sustained mobilization? In particularly, I consider Eric Hirsch’s insight that the commitment of participants of mobilization to the cause is formed within collective instances, i.e. ‘group processes’, and I employ it in the Kyrgyzstani context of generalized distrust and discredited corrupt politics. I explore the conditions in which participants of episodes of mobilization create trust in organizers and into the cause of mobilization. I investigate these conditions in two case studies: one concerns a fragmented labour force at a state-owned gas and oil company in which, in the course of four years, workers succeeded to empower themselves as a collective actor within the group processes of collective learning and collective decision-making. The second tells a story about a fragmented rural community that goes against mining operations but sees the decline of an initially successful mobilization within group processes of monitoring. These findings point to the presence of a specific ‘pre-condition’ for any lasting mobilization: trust between organizers and participants of episodes of mobilization must be established in the process of monitoring the commitment to collective interests. With this insight I contribute to the literature on social movements and mobilizations that tends to take commitment and trust as pre-established resources. Furthermore, this work intervenes in the ongoing discussion on social change in the former Soviet Union. First, my observations of the difficult formation of protest groups lead, surprisingly, to the conclusion that the weak state produces a weak society. Second, due to the fragmented and localized nature of these mobilizations, social and political change in Kyrgyzstan is most likely to occur at the local level.

The main subject of the thesis is the interpretation and evaluation of the Soviet invasion to Afghanistan and its implications for forming the policy of the Soviet Union towards Central Asian states. Core chapters of the thesis will be the first two chapters. The first one deals with internal politics and the situation in Afghanistan in the 1970s and 1980s. The second chapter describes the region of Central Asia, devotes itself to the key moments of the Cold War that are taking place in this area and have had an impact on the very origin and course of Soviet intervention in Afghanistan. The last two chapters give an insight into the interpretation of the Soviet invasion through Western media, especially the US attitude towards intervention and their position and influence in the Central Asia region. At least, the outline of the current developments in Afghanistan and the Central Asian countries after the collapse of the USSR is the last, fourth chapter. In the diploma thesis, information on the formation of Al-Qaida and the Taliban will be mentioned. The impacts on Afghanistan and the countries of Central Asia will be described to September 11, 2001. In conclusion, there is a summary of the issue. Key words: Afghanistan, soviet invasion, foreign policy, the Central Asia

Since the late 1990s, governments across the post-Soviet space have redefined freedom of conscience as freedom from "non-traditional" religious groups — part of a broader effort to recast pluralism as a threat to national sovereignty. This dissertation focuses on the Central Asian states of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, which have restricted such groups as the Jehovah's Witnesses, the Ahmadi Muslim community, and the Chinese spiritual movement Falun Gong. It analyzes why illiberal regimes restrict marginal and apolitical religious groups, which are often more docile than the population at large. Furthermore, it addresses why policies that infringe on civil liberties nevertheless enjoy popular support. These questions take on greater significance in the midst of the current global retreat from democratic values. Yet they cannot be answered by the prevailing instrumentalist perspective in political theory, which assumes that rational citizens should seek to maximize individual liberties. Popular support for authoritarian figures has prompted scholars to propose non-instrumental motivations, such as national and religious identity. Rather than treat “identity“ as non-instrumental, I propose a relational model of identity politics, wherein pluralism and essentialism represent opposing strategies in a competitive political field. Drawing from Bourdieu's work on public politics, I argue that essentialist claims to authority (e.g. ethnic nationalism, religious populism) appeal to strata with relatively low capacity for autonomous political mobilization. Illiberal regimes propagate essentialist claims on behalf of such strata, and repress even benign forms of pluralism as part of this essentialist social contract. I investigate these hypotheses by examining recent discourses on religious tradition in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. I employ a dataset of 5,000 public documents (legislation, court rulings, etc.), which I analyze using qualitative coding. In addition, I draw on interviews with government officials and religious leaders collected during fieldwork between 2012 and 2014, and on data from the World Values Survey. I find that the political and religious establishments of both states are erecting new orthodoxies that consecrate the will of their political bases as essential to national self-determination. Thus, illiberal democracies maintain popular support by redistributing authority (symbolic capital, per Bourdieu) to core constituencies at the expense of peripheral constituencies.

Jakub Havlík, Vývoj osídlení Baktrie v období helénismu Abstract: Primarily based on the archaeological evidence, the aim of the proposed thesis is to present an image of a settlement situation in the region of Bactria (Central Asia) during the Hellenistic period. The main subject of the study is a comparison of settlement patterns of the Achaemenid and Hellenistic periods, as well as a characterization of settlement transformation, which occurred after the conquest of Alexander the Great, after almost two hundred years of Greek rule in the area. In this thesis, the individual settlement-sites are classified according to their size and their hypothetical function in the whole settlement structure. Besides the morphology of the site, their position was examined, as well as a distribution and mutual relations within the context of the natural landscape. Attention was paid to larger sites (cities, fortified settlements), and minor ones (rural settlements) and their agglomerations, as well as specific settlement forms, such as fortresses or sanctuaries. All the studied settlements are presented in form of catalogue and maps. Data analysis shows that a huge decrease in settlement structure and a break in development can be observed in relatively large part of Bactria, at the end of Achaemenid period, what...

abstract: The Great Bustard (Otis tarda) is an iconic species of the temperate grasslands of Europe and Asia, a habitat that is among the least protected ecosystems in the world. A distinct subspecies, the Asian Great Bustard (O. t. dybowskii), is poorly understood due to its wary nature and remote range in Siberia, Mongolia, and northern China. This subspecies is now endangered by rapid development. Using satellite telemetry and remote sensing, I investigated three aspects of the Asian Great Bustard’s ecology critical to its conservation: migratory routes, migratory cues, and habitat use patterns. I found that Asian Great Bustards spent one-third of the year on a 2000 km migratory pathway, a distance twice as far as has previously been recorded for the species. Tracked individuals moved nomadically over large winter territories and did not repeat migratory stopovers, complicating conservation planning. Migratory timing was variable and migratory movements were significantly correlated with weather cues. Specifically, bustards migrated on days when wind support was favorable and temperature presaged warmer temperatures on the breeding grounds (spring) or advancing winter weather (fall). On the breeding grounds, Asian Great Bustards used both steppe and wheat agriculture habitat. All recorded reproductive attempts failed, regardless of habitat in which the nest was placed. Agricultural practices are likely to intensify in the coming decade, which would present further challenges to reproduction. The distinct migratory behavior and habitat use patterns of the Asian Great Bustard are likely adaptations to the climate and ecology of Inner Asia and underscore the importance of conserving these unique populations. My research indicates that conservation of the Asian Great Bustard will require a landscape-level approach. This approach should incorporate measures at the breeding grounds to raise reproductive success, alongside actions on the migratory pathway to ensure appropriate habitat and reduce adult mortality. To secure international cooperation, I proposed that an increased level of protection should be directed toward the Great Bustard under the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). That proposal, accepted by the Eleventh Conference of Parties to CMS, provides recommendations for conservation action and illustrates the transdisciplinary approach I have taken in this research. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Biology 2015

La présente thèse porte sur la circulation du rubâb afghan en Asie Centrale et en Occident. Elle s'inscrit dans une perspective anthropologique et historique dont l'objet est de rendre compte de l'évolution organologique et typologique de l'instrument, dans différents pays où il est pratiqué. L'accent est mis sur la genèse de ce luth à table en parchemin, notamment à partir d'analyses comparatives de la morphologie des différents rubâbs centrasiatiques. Grâce à des modélisations et une approche expérimentale innovante, on a examiné les relations structurelles et typologiques entre cet instrument et les autres rubâbs ou luths similaires. On a ainsi pu constater qu’il n’y a aucune filiation entre ces instruments et le rubâb afghan. Un examen approfondi de certaines vièles de ces régions met en évidence des similitudes frappantes avec l’instrument. On a tenté d'apporter une réponse quant à une éventuelle parenté de la vièle jusqu'au luth, hypothèse qui est également envisagée sous l'éclairage de données historiques, philologiques et organologiques. L'analyse comparative des différents instruments repose sur une abondante source iconographique, accompagné de modélisations et d'expérimentations organologiques. Cette recherche souligne les différents types de rubâb afghan, mises en relation avec les exigences des différents répertoires où ils sont utilisés. Enfin on a abordé la pratique du rubâb afghan en Occident, ce qui pose la question des nouveaux moyens mis en œuvre pour assurer une transmission du savoir et des savoir-faire, en l'absence de contact direct ou suivi avec un maître. / This thesis focuses on the diffusion of the Afghan rubâb in Central Asia as well as in the occidental Western countries. It is part of an anthropological and historical perspective, which tends account the organological and typological evolution of the instrument in the different countries where it is practiced. The emphasis is placed on the genesis of the parchment sounding board lute, in particular through morphological comparative analyses of various rubâbs bodies from Central Asia. Thanks to the modelings and an innovative and experimental approach we examined the structural and typological relationships between this instrument and other rubâbs or similar lutes. It has thus been found that there is no filiation between these instruments and the Afghan rubâb. A closer look at some of the bowed lutes from these areas highlights striking similarities with the Afghan rubâb. An attempt has been made to answer the question of a possible relationship between one bowed lute and the Afghan rubâb, a hypothesis which is also considered in the light of historical, philological and organological data. The comparative analysis of the various instruments is based on an abundant iconographic source, accompanied by modeling and organological experiments. This research results in a typology of the Afghan rubâbs, in relation with the requirements of the different repertoires where they are used. Finally, the practice of rubâb in the West has been discussed, under the question of the new means used to ensure the transmission of knowledge and know-how with the absence of direct contact with or follow-up with a master.