Enclaves - the Swiss Cheese of Fergana Valley: Inherited Past of Constructed Present?

Abstract

Enclaves are unique, sometimes problematic and under-researched phenomena of International Relations. Enclaves are not only surrounded with a territory of another state, they are also surrounded with a complex system of intrastate and international relations. With the collapse of the USSR, the question of defining legal borders between the former “brotherly” republics gained high priority and by default gave birth to nearly 20 additional enclaves on the world political map. The current research presents a study on the Fergana Valley enclaves in the framework of the “triangular relations” of enclave theory, which looks at the relations of mainland state, the surrounding state, and the enclave. The theory is expanded in this research, and a fourth actor is introduced – the ethnic root state of enclave dwellers. The theory of enclaves is expanded on the example of Uzbekistan’s Sokh enclave that is surrounded by Kyrgyzstan and populated by ethnic Tajiks. Theoretical assumptions are supported with real case examples. The study analyzes the factors behind enclaves that have a different effect on international and intrastate relations, and explains how an enclave can have an influence on lives of minorities residing in another state, and an influence on another enclave share between the same states. The complex webs of relations that surround enclaves are analyzed in the framework of state-nation correspondence theory and the expanded theory of enclaves.