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Russia and Central Asian Politics February 24, 2020

Bakchiserai, home of the Crimean Khanate (1478 to 1774)

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Announcements

• First assignment is due Thursday night midnight.

• For political science majors, multiple scholarships* are available for next year (including for study abroad). Application deadline: March 2.

• http://www.wmich.edu/politics/scholarships/undergraduate

* Last year's total was $20,000+.

Post-Communist Diversity

The Rest of the FSU The Rest of the FSU

The Rest of the FSU

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Caucasian Topography

• Mountain ranges (Caucasus and Little Caucasus) dominate the region.

• Land link between West Asia and European Russia.• Sandwiched between Black and Caspian Seas.

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PAKISTANAFGHANISTAN

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TajikistanPyanj River(border w/Tajikistan)

Border withPakistan

Kunlun Mtns(China)

Wakhan Corridor

Themes

• Multiple regime types.

Kazakhstan's non-democratic election.

Themes

• Repression.

Ending a protest in Belarus.

• Reversals (color revolutions).

Georgia's Rose Revolution.

Themes

• Personality cults.

Turkmenistan's Niyazov.

Themes

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• Oil and (natural) gas politics.

Tajik pipeline.

Themes

• Identity politics.

Armenian national pride.

Themes

• Religion and politics.

Praying in Azerbaijan.

Themes

• Water politics.

Irrigation in Uzbekistan.

Themes

Categorization of Regime Types

Guardianship Democracy Anarchy

Robert Dahl's broad categorization:

Categorization of Regime Types

Non-Democracies Hybrid Regimes Democracies Anarchy

Military Juntas DelegativeDemocracy

UnconsolidatedDemocracies

Self-Governing Societies*

One-Party States Competitive Authoritarianism

Consolidated Democracies

State Collapse

Sultanism

ElectoralAuthoritarianism

Totalitarianism

More conventional, more detailed categorization:

* None exist as contemporary nation-states.

Countries in this course are in emboldened categories.

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Regime Types

• Sultanism– Belarus– Turkmenistan– Uzbekistan

• Electoral Authoritarianism– Azerbaijan– Kazakhstan– Tajikistan

Regime Types

• Unconsolidated democracies– Armenia– Georgia– Kyrgyzstan– Ukraine

• Competitive Authoritarianism– Russia

Site of "color revolutions"

• Georgia 2003• Ukraine 2004• Kyrgyzstan 2005