STRATEGEAST WESTERNIZATION INDEX 2020 ABOUT STRATEGEAST StrategEast is a strategic center whose goal is to reinforce the values of rule of law and private property protection in Eurasian and Baltic countries through the transition from natural resources-based to knowledge- driven economy. Our work is focused on the 14 countries, which proclaimed or restored their independence after the collapse of the USSR: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. StrategEast is a registered 501(c)3 organization based in the United States. LEARN MORE AT OUR WEBSITE: www.StrategEast.org THIS REPORT Serdar Aitakov Parviz Mullojonov (Mullojanov) WAS WRITTEN BY: Ilvija Bruge Boris Navasardian Alyona Getmanchuk Dr. Adil Nurmakov Gubad Ibadoghlu Sergiy Solodkyy Tamerlan Ibraimov Agniete Pocyte Alisher Ilkhamov Maili Vilson Leonid Litra Andrei Yahorau Salome Minesashvili © 2020 StrategEast. All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-578-63441-8 StrategEast Westernization Index 2020 is available on our website: www.StrategEast.org StrategEast Concept: Michael Sheitelman 1900 K Street, NW Project Coordinator: Lidia Shavlo Suite 100 Editor: Courtney Dobson Washington, D. C. 20006 Design: Vitaly Tchirkov Page Proof: Mark Kanarsky
[email protected] www.StrategEast.org 4 STRATEGEAST WESTERNIZATION INDEX | About STRATEGEAST TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 6 Index Methodology 8 Scores 14 Cross-Country Analysis 16 Westernization Index of Post-Soviet States 42 Armenia 43 Azerbaijan 51 Belarus 57 Estonia 64 Georgia 69 Kazakhstan 75 Kyrgyzstan 83 Latvia 89 Lithuania 95 Moldova 101 Tajikistan 108 Turkmenistan 114 Ukraine 121 Uzbekistan 128 Bibliography 135 Authors’ Biographies 176 STRATEGEAST WESTERNIZATION INDEX 5 INTRODUCTION 2018, when the Index was launched, many post-So- viet countries experienced backsets.