This electronic thesis or dissertation has been downloaded from the King’s Research Portal at https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/ International Society and Central Asia Costa Buranelli, Filippo Awarding institution: King's College London The copyright of this thesis rests with the author and no quotation from it or information derived from it may be published without proper acknowledgement. END USER LICENCE AGREEMENT Unless another licence is stated on the immediately following page this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ You are free to copy, distribute and transmit the work Under the following conditions: Attribution: You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work). Non Commercial: You may not use this work for commercial purposes. No Derivative Works - You may not alter, transform, or build upon this work. Any of these conditions can be waived if you receive permission from the author. Your fair dealings and other rights are in no way affected by the above. Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact [email protected] providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Download date: 10. Oct. 2021 International Society and Central Asia by Filippo Costa Buranelli Thesis submitted for the degree of doctor of philosophy to King’s College London, Department of War Studies 24 March 2015 Abstract After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Central Asia appeared on the world stage as a sub-system in the wider Eurasian continent. Because of its vast and rich natural resources and its strategic location with respect to Afghanistan, within the discipline of International Relations Central Asia has been widely considered as a mere ‘pawn’ in the competition among the Great Powers for geo-political and geo-economic advantage in the area. This framework of analysis, strongly focusing on systemic factors, has often downplayed and silenced the dense intra-regional political dynamics at play. In the few instances where these dynamics have been studied, the international relations of Central Asian states have always been read through a strongly realist framework of analysis. Since these states are more interested in dealing with foreign powers than with themselves, since there are not Central Asian regional organisations and since several problems, mostly related to water- management and border issues, hinder cooperation between them, the region has often been described as a paramount example of realism at play. This thesis, challenging the existent literature on the region, shows that an English School (ES) reading of Central Asian regional politics reveals much more than it is usually believed to be present there, and that despite the strong confrontational character of the region, these states have managed to coexist relatively peacefully. How? Drawing on a variety of primary sources, interviews with diplomats and practitioners conducted in the region and on the analysis of official documents and statements, this research finds that Central Asia represents an in fieri, but nonetheless existent, regional international society, featuring also local, peculiar interpretations of global norms and institutions, where cooperation and confrontation have always been intertwined and seldom mutually exclusive. Being the first work in the literature to use ES theory to study Central Asian international politics, this thesis advances two agendas: it suggests new, more nuanced and ‘autoptic’ readings of the Central Asian region while encouraging the ES to expand into the ‘heartland’, therefore bringing forward the recently established comparative agenda on international society at the regional level. Declaration The copyright of this dissertation rests with the author and no quotation from it or information derived from it may be published without proper acknowledgement or prior approval. Acknowledgments There are many people I have to thank for supporting me in carrying out this research. After all, thirty-nine months is a long period. First, I would like to thank my supervisors, Dr Natasha Kuhrt and Prof Guglielmo Verdirame for their guidance. In particular, Natasha has been a constant source of encouragement, empathy and strength, even during the most difficult phases of the project. I will never forget that afternoon back in December 2011, before starting my PhD, when we met to discuss my project. She was the first person to believe in it, and I will always be grateful for that. I would then like to thank my family, my large family. My parents and my brothers have all supported me in the moments of need, and I still feel in debt for their financial help for the first year of my research. Without that, I would not be writing these acknowledgments. King’s College London, the Department of War Studies and the Graduate School staff have all helped me in a number of ways, providing me with intellectual and financial sources to afford the research. Also, I am grateful to the University for having supported me in the many conferences I have attended to present the work constituting this thesis. Many academics and colleagues in the UK and around the world informed my research with very useful comments and suggestions: Shirin Akiner, Peter Duncan, Diana Kudaybergenova, Aijan Sharshenova, Yannis Stivacthis, Barry Buzan, Yongjin Zhang, Carsten Shultz, Oisìn Tansey, Roy Allison, Ruth Deyermond, Oscar Jonsson, Katarzyna Kaczmarska, Alessandra Russo, Iqboljon Qoraboyev, Kairat Moldashev are only few among the many. The staff at the Maughan Library, British Library, SOAS Library, LSE Library, Senate House, Bayalina Library in Bishkek and the people working in all the institutions I visited in Central Asia during my fieldwork have made this research possible as well. Without their kind support, their enthusiasm in helping me and their availability, this thesis would be much poorer in material than it is now. In particular, I still remember how the staff at the Bayalina Library used to call me ‘inostranets s zelenymi glazami’ (‘foreigner with green eyes’) as they could not remember my name. My interviewees have been commendable in their availability, openness and devotion. I cannot thank them singularly for security and anonymity precautions, but they can be sure they all have my gratitude. Kanybek Mukalaev, Aigul Kubatbekova, Viktoria Akchurina, Alisher Kakhkharov, Uran Bolushevitch, Edgar Wentzel, Alessandro Frigerio, Nargis Kassenova, Gulnara Dadabayeva, Paolo Sorbello, Stephanie Koole, Max Tyan and many others made my months in Central Asia unforgettable. If now I am twice homesick, it is because of them and their hospitality. A special ‘thank you’ goes to Suna Julia Park and Diana Gurbanmyradova, who helped me with translating interviews conducted in Russian. Their skills, energy and kindness will never be forgotten, and I wish them all the best as they did with me. Mika Igbayeva was fantastic in organising my stay in Kazakhstan, while Yulia Kiseleva, Elene Melikishvili and Camilla Hagelund have been a constant source of support and encouragement, and have always stimulated my thoughts with interesting discussions about Eurasia, politics, history and life. In particular, Camilla was a great fellow-traveller in Central Asia, and thanks to her I felt less alien than I would otherwise be. The Politburo in Milan, i Cugini and the Zoccolo Duro in London have been the sun in the darkest days of this adventure. The laughs, the chats, the dinners, the phone-calls and the shishas together made me face the most difficult times successfully. Eleonora Sacchi, Daniele Martinelli, Ilaria Liberati, Valerio Cicchella, Giovani Cinà, Francesco Formichella, Ozkan Koyuncu, Giovanni Fontana, Francesco Cerruti, Noah Nemoy, Geri della Rocca de Candal, Eduardo Parisi and Lorenzo Vigevano have been present all this time, never making me feel alone and always encouraging me. Santiago Santandrea and Paolo Ziggiotti have been the two best housemates possible, and I am sure this research is partly informed by words and concepts coming out of my chats with them over a plate of pasta. A special ‘thank you’ goes also to Lola, who was with me until she could. She left when she was sure I could make it, and she is probably barking happy somewhere to know that I am mentioning her here. B.! has been the red thread of this thesis, even if totally unaware of my admiration for him. In the same way, Balaussa Kabas deserves a special mention for being the person behind much of this research even if, again, she may not realise it. Sasha Zaymentseva has my gratitude for having, more than one time, prompted me to finish ‘this bloody thesis’. I would also like to thank my students, for making me aware that researching and teaching are not two conflicting objectives but sides of the same coin, that is, ‘leaving something good’. Lastly, I would like to dedicate this modest contribution to the people of Central Asia. If my passion for research, my curiosity for the world and my desire to widen my horizons are still sizzling, it is also because of them. London, 24 March 2015 Index Chapter 1 – Introduction: The context, the puzzle(s), the plan 1 1.1 Central Asia on the international stage 1 1.2 Developments in International Relations Theory 4 1.3 The research questions and the justification of the