https://mt.osce-academy.kg/handle/123456789/228 Tue, 11 Nov 2025 07:22:50 GMT 2025-11-11T07:22:50Z https://mt.osce-academy.kg/handle/123456789/253 Title: The Role of NGOs in Civil Society Development in Turkmenistan Authors: Petrosyan, Yelena Abstract: Soviet totalitarian past makes it difficult for democracy to flourish. Being an important component of civil society development, democracy implies liberal environment with its ideas and values. Though, such environment conflicts with the Soviet past that influenced today’s Turkmenistan political nature. It could not but reflect on Turkmen civil society sector. One may know that there are almost no political or social activists in Turkmenistan; however, there are few NGOs that might fulfill civil society functions in the state. Thereby, the aim of the research is to find out the role of NGOs in civil society development in Turkmenistan. A decent theoretical basis was developed to study two main concepts: the influence of path-dependence on civil society development; Turkmen uncivil society is based on social fragmentation. Path-dependence influenced on the very nature of Turkmen civil society, which mainly formed into NGOs (GONGOs and quasi-NGOs), with lack representatives of common people of Turkmenistan. It proves that Turkmen civil society could flourish only if the government of Turkmenistan takes a new direction toward modernization and liberalization of its political regime. Fri, 01 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMT https://mt.osce-academy.kg/handle/123456789/253 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z https://mt.osce-academy.kg/handle/123456789/252 Title: The Value of Disputed Territories: The Case of Kyrgyzstan and Its Neighbors Authors: Abdyldaev, Temirlan Abstract: 25 years after its independence, Kyrgyzstan’s state borders are not fully defined. Kyrgyz officials have been proactive in cooperating with China and Kazakhstan, but reluctant to do the same with the other two neighbors – Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. By studying the disputed territories from a state’s perspective, based on the available primary and secondary sources, the paper contributes to the larger academic discussion on disputed territories in Fergana Valley. Its main focus is to understand how states act regarding the disputed areas of various values: symbolic, strategic and economic. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of disputed areas involving Kyrgyzstan and representing various values (economic, strategic and symbolic), and analyzes the state’s strategies regarding each of them. Based on the analyzes of Kyrgyzstan territorial strategies and tactics regarding the disputed areas with Uzbekistan, as well as with Tajikistan, the paper tests the argument that Kyrgyzstan chose to be more proactive regarding the territories of high economic and strategic value, and prefer to cooperate or delay actions regarding the areas of symbolic value. Fri, 01 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMT https://mt.osce-academy.kg/handle/123456789/252 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z https://mt.osce-academy.kg/handle/123456789/251 Title: Lost Voices of Women in Post-Soviet Tajikistan Authors: Oshurbekova, Shamima Abstract: This study addresses Women’s Rights in Tajikistan. Since its independence, Tajikistan’s main focus has been placed upon the promotion and improvement of human’s rights in the country. Attention on the protection of the rights and freedom of people has been paramount. Women constitute more than half of the population, but unfortunately legal maintenance of their rights, freedoms and legitimate interests remains one of the main unresolved problems. The objectives of this study are to determine the reasons behind high percentage of women who have their rights violated in Tajikistan and consider the reason for the passive behavior of women within society. Why despite the fact that women are making almost half of the population, their impact on the society considers to be marginal and very low. In terms of research methods, data collection, in-depth interviews involving three target groups were applied: i) government employees (Shu’bai Zanon); ii) women’s rights activists (heads of the NGOs); and iii) local women (including casualties) in Tajikistan. Tajikistan portrays itself to the world, as a democratic state, where both men and women have equal rights and responsibilities. In 1993, Tajikistan ratified The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and later on 3 of December, 1999, was announced Presidential Decree “On increasing the role of women in the society.” Also, on 10 September, 1998, National Action Plan “On strengthening the role and status of women in the period 1998-2005” was approved by the decree of the government of the republic of Tajikistan. Then, in 2005 was adopted new law “On State Guarantees of Equal Rights of men and women and equal opportunities for their realization,” and last but not least was, the adoption of the law “On Prevention of Domestic Violence” in 2013. For all that, in practice, Tajikistan is simply a patriarchic state, where the role of woman in society is shaped through three main images: marriage, motherhood and mistress. Fri, 01 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMT https://mt.osce-academy.kg/handle/123456789/251 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z https://mt.osce-academy.kg/handle/123456789/250 Title: All Parties are Equal, But Some are More Equal Than Others: Presidential Party Politics in Kyrgyzstan, 2010-2015 Authors: Johnson, Ryan Abstract: As is common in many post-Soviet countries, Kyrgyzstan has had a series of presidential parties with Almazbek Atambaev’s Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan (SDPK) being the most recent. This thesis studies the pre-history of the party itself and SDPK’s attempts to create more lasting party structures as well as the election campaigns of SDPK and Almazbek Atambaev in 2010, 2011, and 2015. Interviews with SDPK members and independent experts were utilized together with a content analysis of SDPK campaign literature in order to study the shifting tactics of SDPK as it has fully transitioned from a leading opposition party to the party of power after the 2010 revolution. The data gathered in the course of this research indicates that, regardless of various efforts to turn SDPK into a political institution in its own right, the party has become less reliant on regional identities, more deeply intertwined with the state apparatus, and even more dependent on the personal brand of Almazbek Atambaev. Fri, 01 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMT https://mt.osce-academy.kg/handle/123456789/250 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z