Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Reasserting hegemony in Central Asia: Russian policy in post-2010 Kyrgyzstan

2015; Comillas Pontifical University; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

2386-5776

David Lewis,

Central Asia Education and Culture

espanolAunque ha habido un foco internacional considerable en las energicas politicas exteriores rusas en Ucrania y el Caucaso meridional, la creciente influencia de Moscu en los antiguos estados sovieticos de Asia Central ha recibido mucha menos atencion. El cambio en la politica tras 2010 ha sido especialmenteexitoso en el desarrollo de una relacion mucho mas profunda de Rusia con Kirguistan, un estado que previamente habia desarrollado una politica exterior moderadamente pro-occidental y que juega un papel estrategico clave en la region. Kirguistan ha rebajado los lazos politicos y de seguridadcon los estados occidentales, se ha unido a la Union Economica Euroasiatica (UEE) dirigida por Rusia y ha desarrollado vinculos de seguridad mas estrechos en la Organizacion del Tratado de Seguridad Colectiva (OTSC). Este articulo analiza estos cambios en la politica y califica la nueva actitud rusacomo «hegemonica», senalando tanto el dominio militar, politico y economico ruso en la relacion como el considerable apoyo popular en Kirguistan para tener vinculos mas estrechos con Moscu. La politica rusa ha confiado en un acercamiento integrado a la politica exterior que incluye iniciativas enlos campos de seguridad, economia y politica, asi como formas de «soft power» e influencia cultural.El caso de Kirguistan sugiere que estudiar la politica rusa dentro del marco de la hegemonia es un modo util de analizar tanto el potencial de tener una mayor influencia como las considerables restricciones que se encuentran los responsables de las politicas rusos en el area de Eurasia. EnglishWhile there has been considerable international focus on Russia’s assertive foreign policies in Ukraine and the southern Caucasus, Moscow’s increasing influence in the former Soviet states of Central Asia has received much less attention. A shift in policy after 2010 has been particularly successful in the development of a much stronger Russian relationship with Kyrgyzstan, astate that had previously developed a moderately pro-Western foreign policy, and which plays a key strategic role in the region. Kyrgyzstan has downgraded security and political ties with Western states, joined the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), and developed closer security ties in the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO). This article analyses these policy shifts and characterises the new Russian stance as “hegemonic”, indicating both Russian military, political and economic dominance in the relationship but also significant popular support in Kyrgyzstan for closer ties with Moscow. Russian policy has relied on an integrated approach to foreign policy that includes initiatives in the fields of security, economy and politics, and also forms of “soft power” and cultural influence. The case of Kyrgyzstan suggests that analysing Russian policy within the framework of hegemony is a useful way to discuss both the potential for increased influence and the significant constraints faced by Russian policy-makers in the Eurasian region.