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CIAO DATE: 11/05
September 2005
Table of Contents
Front Cover (JPG, 1 page, 212 KB)
Cover Story
Is the Age of Post-Soviet Electoral Revolutions over? by Dr. Vitali Silitski (PDF, 6 pages, 109.3 KB)
In 1989, citizens across Central Europe took to the streets, bringing down communist dictatorships and asserting their right to live in societies free from fear and oppression. More than a decade later, people across post-communist Eurasia are filling the streets once again: this time, to prevent "elected" authoritarian leaders from stealing elections. People are demanding that leaders accept the verdict of the electorate and transfer power to victorious candidates from the democratic opposition.
Unlike the 1989 revolutions that brought Western-style liberal democracy only to the western rim of the former communist world (Central Europe and the Baltics), this new wave has spread to far more culturally and geographically diverse polities: from Serbia in the Balkans (2000) to Georgia in the Caucasus (2003) to Ukraine in Western CIS (2004) and finally to Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia (2005).
Beyond Democracy
The Future of the Ferghana Valley States by Fatimakhon Ahmedova (PDF, 6 pages, 105.5 KB)
ome Central Asian specialists thought that Tajikistan, whose 2005 parliamentary elections took place the same day in February as those in Kyrgyzstan, would be the next post-Soviet republic to overthrow its authoritarian leader when citizens took to the streets. Instead, the next demonstrations protesting government action—which this time were met with deadly force—took place in the Ferghana Valley in Uzbekistan, where hundreds died in Andijan after clashes with the government.
In the last century the Ferghana Valley—parts of which belong to Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan—faced political and economic challenges brought by Soviet rule. This new century has presented its own challenges to the region as Russia and the United States jockey for influence there, given its geographic proximity to the United States' war on terrorism. In order to understand the possibility of political change in the region—and whether the area's next elections (for Tajikistan's president in 2006) could bring change—one must understand the history of the Ferghana Valley and its implications for the region's present.
Fieldwork
The Revolutionary Agnostics Ukraine's Swing Voters by Karen Buerkle (PDF, 4 pages, 96.3 KB)
Those who witnessed Ukraine's Orange Revolution from the comfort of their living rooms may still recall the images of orange-clad demonstrators jammed into Kiev's Independence Square. In 2004, pictures of ordinary Ukrainians protesting the electoral fraud that led to Viktor Yuschenko's defeat in the November presidential election flooded TV sets and the front pages of newspapers around the world. Close followers of these events might even remember images of scattered groups of counter-demonstrators, waving blue flags and insisting that Viktor Yanukovych had won the election fairly. However, what none of us saw were pictures of the thousands upon thousands of Ukrainians who were sitting at home in their armchairs, watching these very same images.
You Say You Want a Revolution? by David Mikosz, Tom Wood (PDF, 3 pages, 74.6 KB)
Jalalabat, a sleepy provincial capital perched near the rim of the Ferghana Valley in southern Kyrgyzstan, was roiled by violent protests in early March 2005 when angry crowds numbering in the tens of thousands took over government buildings in an act of defiance against the autocratic, northerner-controlled regime of Askar Akaev. The shockwaves from this unlikely epicenter of revolution reached the capital Bishkek in late March and contributed to the rapid implosion of Akaev's government.
In late June, only a few months later, the scene was quite different when—in advance of the country's July presidential elections—a large, peaceful crowd gathered in Jalalabat's central soccer stadium on a summer evening to hear a free "get-out-the-vote" rock concert, one of a series held throughout the country and organized by the national youth movement Kel Kel (or "Renaissance"). The concert had a line-up of prominent Kyrgyz pop artists who offered energetic performances (featuring a Kyrgyz version of the Backstreet Boys and Spice Girls) complete with synchronized dances in revealing outfits. Such a show was rather at odds with the stereotypical image of the conservative Islamic Ferghana Valley region but indicative of the political energy that civil society groups have mobilized in the wake of the country's Tulip Revolution.
Building Citizenship in the Midst of Ethnic Conflict by Terrence C. Mason (PDF, 8 pages, 145.4 KB)
As the new democratic republics of Eastern Europe experience sweeping transformations in their political, economic and social institutions, their educational systems must also undergo changes to address the new roles and responsibilities of citizens. This article explores the impact of these changes in one Eastern European country—the Republic of Macedonia—by drawing upon research conducted at its South East European University. This research investigates the views of educators in Macedonia who seek to create educational systems and teaching practices that can overcome their country's political challenges and support both democratic values and participatory citizenship. It also explores how civic education curriculum could help them reach these goals.
Thinking Out Loud
From Comrade to Citizen by Gregory E. Hamot (PDF, 6 pages, 126 KB)
Fifteen years of democracy in the former Soviet Union and its satellites have seen the first generation of youth develop into democratic citizens. During this time, organizations in the United States and educators in Eastern Europe and Central Asia have collaborated to produce varied approaches to democratic citizenship education. This article notes the rising civic competency in the former Soviet world (particularly in Eastern Europe), describes an increasingly accepted framework for civic education on a global scale, and details three significant trends in cross-cultural civic curriculum projects in post-communist countries. Lessons learned from such projects can be summed up in four guiding principles, and they frame future challenges for civic education work in the region.
Azerbaijan's 2005 elections: Can CSOs seize the moment? by Sarvat Maharramov (PDF, 4 pages, 91.9 KB)
Azerbaijan's upcoming parliamentary elections (to be held November 6, 2005) are currently a hot topic in Eurasian news because of the region's recent "revolutionary elections." International observers are wondering if Azerbaijan could be next. However, there are other reasons—reasons related to the country's internal political development—to pay attention to the coming elections. Given the conflicts over a new electoral law, economics, and corruption, the ruling and opposition parties are gearing up for the electoral battle ahead. This already intense political season has created space for civil society organizations (CSOs) to push for free and fair elections. Whether they will be able to take advantage of this opportunity, and help advance Azerbaijan's democratization, depends on whether they can overcome both internal and external challenges during the pre-election period.
