US Democracy Promotion: The Case of Civil Society Assistance in Kyrgyzstan

Abstract

This paper analyzes US democracy promotion via civil society in Kyrgyzstan in the period 2001-2011. This thesis answers the question if the US democracy policy has increased since 2001, when democracy promotion became important for the Bush Administration. This change in focus in US foreign policy became known as the “realist turn”, with emphasis on the national interest and democracy as a means to replace terror in unfriendly for the US countries. Former Soviet Kyrgyzstan was chosen as a case study to analyze the increase or decrease in US democratization policy, since it is one of the weakest republics in Central Asia. Civil society is an important part in US democracy promotion portfolio, in Kyrgyzstan this sector is the most active one in the region. US democracy support is also active in the country, by looking at US assistance the paper tries to ascertain if the US democracy promotion was influenced by the new realism priorities after 2001 and has intensified its activity in the country and around the world.