Kyrgyzstan’s Field Test with Democracy
Between the Shadow State and the Tulip Revolution
Cornelius Graubner, Alexander Wolters
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
The Tulip Revolution in Kyrgyzstan is frequently considered the result of foreign intervention. Another popular thesis is that it was all about a conflict of clans. Neither is convincing. Kyrgyz politics is shaped by clientele politics. Power comes to those who under-stand how to control access to resources within the Kyrgyz shadow state and to distribute them. This is shown by the main conflicts of interest that have been fought since 2005. In such a situation, the influence of western efforts to promote democracy cannot be all that great.
(Osteuropa 8-9/2007, pp. 195–208)