The International Dimensions of Nationalism in Central Asia
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The International Dimensions of Nationalism in Central Asia: Can the Relationship Between International Security, State Sovereignty and Emerging Ethnonationalism be Reconciled in Post-Soviet Central Asia? Connor Dilleen PhD International Relations 2005 Abstract The thesis tracks the emergence of western forms of nationalism in republics of Post- Soviet Central Asia, and assesses the likelihood of ethnic conflict in the region, and its probably consequences. It also considers the means by which the heterogenous populations in Central Asia may be more effectively accommodated within the individual republics. The thesis is conceived in three sections. The first section examines the causes and consequences of ethnic conflict, and discusses the implications of ethnic conflict in Central Asia from the perspective of state sovereignty and international security. The second section assesses the evolution of ethnicity and identity in Central Asia, the impact of Soviet nationalities policies and the impact of newly enforceable territorial sovereignty on the interconnected populations of the region. The third, and concluding, section considers the impact of state actors and regional and international institutions on the Central Asian republics, and considers strategies that may mitigate the potential for ethnic conflict in the region. The thesis concludes that emerging ethnonationalism in Post-Soviet Central Asia poses a real threat to regional and international security. The individual republics are pursuing policies which discriminate against large proportions of their populations. The Central Asian republics are also struggling with their newly found sovereignty, especially in respect to their asymmetrical relationships with states such as Russia, China and the U.S.A. The republics should consider alternative forms of governance, such as national cultural autonomy or consociation, which may contribute to a lessening of the tensions between ethnic or identity groups. The international community, in the form of the United Nations or other appropriate organisations, should recognise the potential for ethnic conflict in the region, and should actively encourage the states to adopt innovative forms of government that accommodate the diverse needs of their heterogenous populations. Table of Contents Introduction...................................................................................................................1 PART ONE Ethnicity and Ethnic Conflict in a World of Sovereign States..........11 Ethnic Conflict, the International Community and Central Asia................................13 Ethnic Conflict and the International System..................................................................... 13 The Continuing Threat of Ethnic Conflict.......................................................................... 19 Conflict in Central Asia...................................................................................................... 22 Sources of Conflict in Central Asia.................................................................................... 26 Understanding Ethnicity and Nationalism ..................................................................33 The Concept of Ethnicity.................................................................................................... 33 Ethnicity, the Nation, and Nationalism .............................................................................. 38 Islam in Central Asia.......................................................................................................... 41 Nationalism and Industrialisation...................................................................................... 45 Classical Theories of Nationalism ..................................................................................... 48 Ethnicity, Nationalism and Central Asia............................................................................ 53 Why Does Conflict Between Ethnic or National Groups Occur?...............................56 Conflicting Loyalties? State vs Ethnic Group ................................................................... 60 Mechanisms of Conflict...................................................................................................... 64 The Nation State or the Nationalising State?..................................................................... 73 State Sovereignty, Group Rights and the International System..................................78 The Myth Of Territorial Sovereignty.................................................................................. 83 International Law and the State......................................................................................... 88 Ethnic Conflict and the State.............................................................................................. 90 The Argument for Greater International Involvement in the Resolution of Ethnic Conflict ............................................................................................................................................ 93 Self Determination and Minority Group Rights in International Law ............................... 95 PART TWO Central Asia: The Legacy of the Soviet Union and the Emergence of the Sovereign State in Central Asia...........................................................................107 Historical Foundations for Ethnicity and Identity in Central Asia ...........................109 The Uzbeks ....................................................................................................................... 112 The Kazakhs ..................................................................................................................... 116 The Tajiks......................................................................................................................... 118 i The Turkmen .....................................................................................................................121 The Kyrgyz........................................................................................................................123 Sources of Solidarity and Unity........................................................................................125 Islam in Central Asia ........................................................................................................126 Reconciling Historiography with Reality in Central Asia ................................................130 Soviet Nationalities Policy and the Formation of the Central Asian Republics .......132 Nationalities Policy and the Development of the Bolshevik Federal Framework............134 Stalin and the Evolution of Soviet Federalism..................................................................143 The Formation of the Central Asian Republics ................................................................148 The Emergence of Ethnonationalism in Central Asia? Structures of Identity in a Post-Soviet World.....................................................................................................169 Tajikistan ..........................................................................................................................174 Uzbekistan.........................................................................................................................176 Turkmenistan ....................................................................................................................177 Kyrgyzstan ........................................................................................................................180 Kazakhstan........................................................................................................................187 Border Disputes and Irredentism – Prospects for Intra- and Interstate Conflict.......213 Uzbekistan – Kazakhstan Border Demarcation................................................................215 Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan Border Demarcation...............................................................221 The Conundrum of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan .................................................................224 Voluntary and Involuntary Population Transfer as a Destabilising Factor.....................229 Belligerent Uzbekistan at the Centre: Further Causes and Consequences of Regional Tensions ............................................................................................................................231 PART THREE Central Asia: Challenges to Sovereignty and the Legitimacy of the State........................................................................................................................241 Impediments to State Evolution: The Influence of Regional and International Factors on State Capacity Building in Central Asia ..............................................................243 The New Colonialism: US interests in Central Asia and the prospects for a new ‘Great Game’ ...............................................................................................................................246 A Resurgent Russia in Central Asia – Continued Colonialism or New Opportunities for Development? ...................................................................................................................250 China – Economic Synergies and Shared Security Concerns?.........................................256 The Implications of Regional Dislocation ........................................................................261