https://mt.osce-academy.kg/handle/123456789/642 2025-11-07T09:34:09Z https://mt.osce-academy.kg/handle/123456789/693 Title: Populist Appeal or Practical Leadership? Sadyr Zhaparov’s Political Discourse in Kyrgyzstan Authors: Sopukeev, Sanjar Abstract: Since gaining independence, Kyrgyzstan has been famous for the reputation of being "the island of democracy in Central Asia". However, political instability has been observed in the country during the period of independence. The rise of the current President Sadyr Zhaparov in Kyrgyzstan's political landscape has ignited extensive political and academic debate regarding his leadership style and its implications for Kyrgyz democracy. According to various authoritative ratings and indices of democracy and freedom of the press, Kyrgyzstan has significantly worsened its performance under the current head of state. This study aims to investigate the extent to which Zhaparov's political discourse exhibits characteristics of populism and how this influences democratic institutions and processes in Kyrgyzstan. The research applies Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) framework to a selected set of Sadyr Zhaparov's speeches and public statements, supplemented by semi-structured interviews with political experts. A practical study of the political discourse of the head of state will serve as a contribution to the existing knowledge about the phenomenon of populism, expanding the boundaries of the study to Central Asia. 2025-02-01T00:00:00Z https://mt.osce-academy.kg/handle/123456789/692 Title: Migrants’ Perception of Development and Security in Their Home Countries: The Case of Tajikistani Migrants Authors: Mirbozkhonova, Ramziya Abstract: This thesis studies how Tajikistani migrants perceive development and (in)security in their home country. Tajikistan is a country with a considerable number of its citizens in labor migration and high rate of remittance dependency. It is an agrarian country with over ninety percent of mountainous area and the poorest country in Central Asia. Migration plays an important role in the livelihoods of the population of the country and remittances are the means of survival for many households. Despite the importance of migration in Tajikistan, there is limited research on how the migrants, who are major actors in the process, perceive development and security in their home country, while their viewpoints are important in their involvement in the local development process and return migration. Accordingly, this thesis explored mentioned issue, the main reasons for the migrants’ perceptions, the challenges and limitations they face and the way these perceptions shape their decisions. It is a new perspective in migration studies in the context of Tajikistan. Drawing from New Economics of Labor Migration, critical theory of security and perception studies this research employed mixed-methods approach using surveys for more general results and semi-structured interviews for in-depth understanding of the issue. The results presented that the migrants hold mixed but mostly negative views on development in Tajikistan in general, but are optimist about its future. The views are mainly shaped by the poor economic situation, limited financial and employments opportunities, poor social services, corruption and nepotism in Tajikistan and comparing the conditions to those in their destination countries. About security, considering the state security and absence of threat, positive perception prevails. The understandings of the development and security shape the migrants’ decisions regarding sending remittances and return migration. As they view the development process negatively, it makes them remit regularly, but in limited amount, due to perceived absence of investment opportunities. The same is true for return decisions, which means, returning is viewed as economically impractical, but the positive view on security and place attachment keep the desire to return ultimately. This research contributes to the wider debates on migration and development through the security context and offering insights from the migrants’ life experiences. The findings from this research provides insights to develop more effective strategies to address the needs and concerns of migrants and their home communities and make migration more efficient. 2025-02-01T00:00:00Z https://mt.osce-academy.kg/handle/123456789/691 Title: Political Psychology of Central Asian Leaders: Comparative Analysis of Personality Traits of Nursultan Nazarbayev, Islam Karimov, and Emomali Rahmon Authors: Qadam, Hilolov Abstract: This thesis explores the political psychology of three prominent leaders from Central Asia: Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan, Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan, and the late Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan. These leaders remained(ing) in power for long periods, and this study seeks to understand the psychological factors that contributed to their extended leadership. The focus is on analyzing these leaders' characteristics and traits that influenced their decision- making and leadership styles. By examining their personalities, the research aims to uncover how their traits, such as their perceptions, beliefs, and motivations, shaped their decisions while in power. These decisions, in turn, played a significant role in shaping their respective countries' political stability, security and direction of foreign policy. Additionally, the study looks at the strategies these leaders used to maintain control, including how they navigated challenges, consolidated power, and built loyalty among supporters. Understanding the personality traits and psychological makeup of these leaders is essential because their decisions impacted the long-term development of their nations. The research highlights the importance of examining the minds and motivations of political figures, as their personalities often guide how they handle both internal governance and external pressures. By doing so, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of political leadership in Central Asia and sheds light on why these leaders were able to stay in power for such extended periods. 2025-02-01T00:00:00Z https://mt.osce-academy.kg/handle/123456789/690 Title: Authoritarian Transitions: The Role of Qandy Qantar in Redefining the Kazakh Duumvirate Authors: Mukhamediya, Nazerke Abstract: This thesis examines leadership succession in authoritarian regimes, focusing on Kazakhstan as a single case study. It specifically examines the transition of power from Nursultan Nazarbayev to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and explores how the January 2022 protests influenced this process. The research situates the Kazakh transition within broader discussions of authoritarian resilience and political succession, highlighting the role of power struggles, public protests, and systemic challenges in shaping the political landscape. Taking the framework of regime cycles and constructivist approach as an umbrella of the research, the study argues that the protests acted as both a destabilizing force and an opportunity for Tokayev to consolidate power, diminish Nazarbayev's influence, and establish a "new political order" in Kazakhstan. However, at the same time, the thesis departs from the position that the literature on authoritarian succession and existing frameworks do not comprehensively take into account the complex local dynamics. Therefore, investigating leadership succession by combining different methods and expanding the theoretical lens contributes to the knowledge of modern autocracies. Consequently, the empirical analysis develops around these aspects. The goal of this study is not only to descriptively tell the story of the Kazakh succession but also to search for the answers to how the dual power situation was resolved. To achieve a solid analysis a broad range of data was analyzed, through multiple frameworks, such as elite dynamics, institutional analysis, framing analysis and, to a limited extent, a look at bottom-up processes. The thesis concludes by arguing that the “Bloody January” protests - Qandy Qantar - served as a political opportunity, shaping the succession process, where the prolonged duumvirate system finally came to an end. 2025-02-01T00:00:00Z