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From a critically acclaimed author-a comprehensive history of the part of the world currently making headlines

The former Soviet republics of Central Asia comprise a sprawling, politically pivotal, densely populated, and richly cultured area of the world that is nonetheless poorly represented in libraries and mainstream media. Since their political incorporation in Stalin's Soviet era, these countries have gone through a flash of political and economical evolution. But despite these rapid changes, the growth of oil wealth and U.S. jockeying, and the opening of the region to tourists and businessmen, the spirit of Central Asia has remained untouched at its core.

In this comprehensive new treatment, renowned political writer and historian Dilip Hiro offers us a narrative that places the modern politics, peoples, and cultural background of this region firmly into the context of current international focus. Given the strategic location of Central Asia, its predominantly Muslim population, and its hydrocarbon and other valuable resources, it comes as no surprise that the five Central Asian republics are emerging in the twenty-first century as one of the most potentially influential-and coveted-patches of the globe. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A Comprehensive and Useful Overview
I read Dilip Hiro's "Inside Central Asia: A Political and Cultural History of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Iran" because I wanted to get a solid introduction to this region, and to this end the book was successful. Although Hiro discusses seven complicated countries, he manages to provide a very comprehensive and detailed overview. Some countries are discussed in greater detail than others (e.g., Uzbekistan gets 73 pages, Kyrgyzstan and Iran each get about 30) but all chapters provide a good starting place for those interested in studying any one country in greater detail. The "Summary and Conclusions" chapter was particularly useful.

Hiro's choice to include chapters on Turkey and Iran was logical, given the immense importance of these countries on the past, present, and future of the central Asian republics. Russia (and the Soviet Union), Afghanistan, the United States, and China are not given their own chapters, but they are intimately involved in all of the book's chapters. This is especially true of the Soviet Union, whose policies profoundly shaped Central Asia. The Soviet Union is discussed in detail, and I came away from the book with a much better understanding of its history and policies in the region. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Hiro explains how Russia continues to loom large in its so-called "near abroad" (this is particularly true given the large number of Russians who migrated to the region during the Soviet era). The United Stats enters the picture forcefully after 9/11, and its often ambiguous relations with the nascent republics, primarily concerning military bases and human rights, are well discussed. American relations with repressive regimes are especially complex and distressing, as America often turns a blind eye towards--or financially rewards--authoritarian abuses so as to secure reliable military partners in the "war on terrorism." In the troubling case of Uzbekistan, this relationship explodes following the mind-boggling Andijan massacre of 2005.

On that note, this book is also a useful study of how corrupt autocrats achieve and hold power through internal and external maneuvering. With the possible exception of Kyrgyzstan, all of the Central Asian Republics have been and still are ruled by strongmen who--having come to power during the collapse of the Soviet Union--have enriched themselves while oppressing dissent, religion, and anything resembling real democracy. Hiro provides interesting portraits of these leaders, who range from megalomaniacal and often amusing (Niyazov "Turkmenbashi" of Turkmenistan) and wildly corrupt (all of them) to utterly savage (Karimov of Uzbekistan).

My main gripe is that, despite its title, the book is primarily concerned with the politics rather than the cultures of this region. The role of religion in politics is discussed extensively, but, as another reviewer has mentioned, most cultural lessons take the form of sudden asides on this or that feature of Central Asian life. However, Hiro does a good job discussing the importance of national myth and history (fictive or otherwise) on the nationalist projects of different regimes. My interest occasionally flagged when Hiro presents detailed discussions of Soviet resource production, membership in political parties, and a sometimes bewildering parade of politicians in each country. Also, I couldn't help but notice that Hiro once inexplicably cites Wikipedia for a note on Iranian Jews (note 5, Chapter 7)! I would have liked more discussion of China's influence in the region, especially given that its sizable Xinjiang Uyghur population is frequently included in discussions of Central Asia (the Uyghurs are only mentioned once). Nevertheless, on the whole the book appears well researched and reasonable in its arguments.

Generally, if you are looking for an up-to-date and in-depth overview of contemporary Central Asia, "Inside Central Asia" delivers.

Good Account of Modern Central Asia
"Inside Central Asia", by Dilip Hiro, provides a good account of the "Stan" nations of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.There is a chapter on each of these nations.Each chapter gives a short history of the nation, but the focus of the narrative is on post World War II era politics and Post Cold War politics.It highlights the influence of the Soviet Union on the Central Asian nations while they were a part of the USSR, and their attempts to find individual paths after the fall of Soviet government in Moscow.It details the struggle of each nation's leaders with the renewed growth of Islam, and the influence from the Taliban in Afghanistan.He gives an excellent account of the mostly corrupt doings of the nation's leaders.Mostly, it explains the constant struggles between Russia, Turkey and Iran to wield overall influence in Central Asia.The book ends suggesting that Russian influence is again on the rise.While Turkish influence was greatest after the fall of the Soviet Union, their power to influence Central Asia waned as Islamism grew stronger in Ankara.Overall, this is a good read to understand modern Central Asia and its politics.

A 'must' for any library strong in Asian history and culture
INSIDE CENTRAL ASIA: A POLITICAL AND CULTURAL HISTORY OF UZBEKISTAN, TURKMENISTAN, KAZAKHSTAN, KYRGYZSTAN, TAJIKISTAN, TURKEY AND IRAN is a 'must' for any library strong in Asian history and culture, especially as these regions are typically given only cursory attention in favor of Japan, Korea and others. The former Soviet republics of Central Asia represent a politically pivotal region and are essential study for any who would understanding the pressures in the region. Political writer and historian Dilip Hiro's analysis of the politics and daily lives of the peoples of these countries is detailed and essential.

A useful overview of recent Central Asian history
This provides a thorough and often insightful account of the recent history of today's five Central Asian states: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

The main focus is on the post-Soviet history of the new nations, but Hiro begins with an introductory chapter on the history of the region, starting from the earliest times and then providing increasingly detailed coverage of the Tsarist and Soviet periods up to 1950.

Each of the five nations is then covered in its own chapter, starting with its development in the final years of the USSR, then with its leap to independence, and then the subsequent years of nation building.There are many common themes, including the struggles to reassert (or create) a unifying national identity, to create functioning economies after the post-Soviet economic collapse, the tensions of overlapping ethnic groups, the resurgence of interest in traditional Islam, and a strong tendency towards authoritarian one-party rule.

The last twenty years have not always been easy in this region, and Hiro is willing to be fairly hard-hitting in discussing some of the difficulties, including the outright megalomania of Niyazov's personal rule in Turkmenistan, the regional rivalries behind the Tajikistan civil war, and the allegations of high-level corruption in Kazakhstan.He explains the background and consequences of ethnic tensions and Islamic movements in the Fergana valley, including the tensions that led to the tragic Andijon incident.

As well as the chapters on the five Central Asian nations, Hiro also includes chapters on Turkey and Iran.These are both useful short histories in their own right, but unfortunately the Turkish chapter is mostly unrelated to Central Asia, other than a few paragraphs noting Turkey's limited influence.The Iranian chapter is much more relevant, with an insightful explanation of how shared fears over the rise of the radical Sunni Taliban led to rapprochement between the generally secular Central Asian regimes and the strongly Shiite Iran.

While I found this work generally useful and readable, there are also some weaknesses.The writing quality is sometimes rather uneven and I got the impression that various parts of the book may have been written at different times, for different purposes.Especially in the chapter on Turkey, Hiro sometimes wanders off into strange side topics, such as the introduction of yogurt to 15th c. France. The two included maps are very weak (Kazakhstan's current capital is missing from both!).

But these quibbles aside, this is generally a very readable overview of the region.This is an area with a complex recent history, so having a single tightly written account is valuable.
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Jonathan Aitken skilfully analyses the country's achievements in all its complexity to explain Kazakhstan and Nazarbayev's emergence on the international stage. Kazakhstan is colossal in size, complicated in its history, colourful in its culture and is a nation state that most outsiders know little of. Much of the existing narrative revolves around the country's first president, Nursultan Nazarbayev. But his life can only be understood in the context of the land in which he was born, raised and became a leader. For centuries the tribes of Kazakhstan had been plundered and conquered by foreign invaders. The most ruthless of these were the 20th century leaders of the Soviet Union, but after its collapse it was Nazarbayev who emerged as the new President of the nation state. Jonathan Aitken's masterly book is a riveting account of how Kazakhstan has capitalised on its natural resources (including oil) to become one of the great economic success stories of the modern era. Nazarbayev himself is widely admired as a political leader and strategist, having overcome extraordinary crises including hyperinflation, food shortages and the emigration of two million people. However, his record on human rights is less than perfect and the independence of the judiciary and the press are questionable. Corruption is also widespread in Kazakh society. The obstacles faced in becoming a successful economy are described and examined honestly in this truly fascinating story. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Nazarbayev: "A Benevolent Form of Autocracy" for Kazakhstan
This is the first really credible biography of Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who has been at the former Soviet republic's helm since the 1980s. At 248 pages of text, the book provides a very well-written and informative account of the life of this controversial leader.

The author, Jonathan Aitken, is a former British Member of Parliament (who apparently spent some time in prison and was ousted from Parliament in disgrace). There is not much background either in the book or on the web about how this former MP came into the confidence of both Nazarbayev and, evidently, Gorbachev, but however he did so, it makes for a very good narrative, riddled with solid facts that support his claims.

As to those claims, it must be mentioned that Aitken's bio of the Kazakhstani leader is staunchly pro-Nazarbayev. I was shocked that a Westerner would take such a slant. Almost all public press on Nazarbayev in the West is overwhelmingly negative, fraught with complaints and murmurings about rigged elections, Duvalierian despotism, and comparisons with both Stalin and Islamic extremists. I expected to read a condemnation of the president, but what I had at the end of the book was a new sense of Nursultan Nazarbayev both as a leader and a man. How? Aitken is simply that convincing a writer. One might try to write even that much off to Aitken's having been "duped" by Nazarbayev and his press, but the solid statistics and flawless accounts of events would seem, in my opinion, to make the case in the Kazakh leader's favor. I believe that the reader will come away with a similar opinion on Nazarbayev. He is far from a democratic leader, but his "brand" of democracy may actually be evolving in conjunction with the winds of progress in Kazakhstan. I am not in any way making any excuses for totalitarianism; rather I believe that Aitken truly uncovered the greatness of Nazarbayev's character and achievements while still maintaining a wary stance.

A very well-written book, and probably the best biography of a post-Soviet Central Asian leader yet written. (Now if we could just get similar lives of Islom Karimov and Saparmurat Niyazov!) ... Read more

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This title traces the role of large enterprises in the economy of Kazakhstan, their development through 70 years of socialism and their privatisation since 1991 when Kazakhstan became independent. ... Read more

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Edward Schatz explores the politics of kin-based clan divisions in the post-Soviet state of Kazakhstan. Drawing from extensive ethnographic and archival research, interviews, and wide-ranging secondary sources, he highlights a politics that poses a two-tiered challenge to current thinking about modernity and Central Asia. First, asking why kinship divisions do not fade from political life with modernization, he shows that the state actually constructs clan relationships by infusing them with practical political and social meaning. By activating the most important quality of clans - their 'concealability' - the state is itself responsible for the vibrant politics of these sub-ethnic divisions which has emerged and flourished in post-Soviet Kazakhstan. Sub-ethnic divisions are crucial to understanding how group solidarities and power relations coexist and where they intersect. But, in a second challenge to current thinking, Schatz argues that clan politics should not be understood simply as competition among primordial groups.Rather, the meanings attributed to clan relationships - both the public stigmas and the publicly proclaimed pride in clans - are part and parcel of this contest. Drawing parallels with relevant cases from the Middle East, East and North Africa, and other parts of the former USSR, Schatz concludes that a more appropriate policy may be achieved by making clans a legitimate part of political and social life, rendering them less powerful or corrupt by increasing their transparency. Political scientists, sociologists, anthropologists, policy makers, and others who study state power and identity groups will find a wealth of empirical material and conceptual innovation for discussion and debate. ... Read more

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Chapters: Khazars, Eurasian Avars, Old Turkic Script, History of Uzbekistan, History of Kazakhstan, History of Kyrgyzstan, History of Turkmenistan, Origin of the Azeris, Timurid Dynasty, Great Seljuq Empire, Seljuq Dynasty, Oghuz Turks, Ghaznavids, Kara-Khanid Khanate, Hordes of the Jochid Ulus, Kadizadeli, Karamanoğlu, Uyghur Khaganate, Ak Koyunlu, Pechenegs, Kazakh Khanate, Candaroğlu, Danishmends, Kara Koyunlu, Artuqid Dynasty, History of the Turkic Peoples, Ordu-Baliq, Kimek, Emirate of Bukhara, Kipchaks, Khanate of Bukhara, Germiyan, Saltuklu, Ahlatshahs, Eretna, Mengücek, Oghuz Yabgu State, Çobanoğlu, Menteşe, Shiban, Alaiye, Saruhan, Great Horde, Khatun, Aydınoğlu, Brutakhi, Dulkadir, Kankalis, Tokuz-Oguzes, Ramazanoğlu, Karesi, Ili River Treaty, Hamidoğlu, Pervâneoğlu, Beylik of Teke, Sâhipataoğlu, Beylik of Lâdik, Eşrefoğlu, Uzbek Khanate. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 327. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Ukraine Portal The Khazars (Turkic Dialect:Xazarlar) were a semi-nomadic Turkic people who dominated the Pontic steppe and the North Caucasus from the 7th to the 10th century. The name "Khazar" seems to be tied to a Turkic verb form meaning "wandering". In the 7th century, the Khazars founded an independent Khaganate in the Northern Caucasus along the Caspian Sea. Although the Khazars were initially Tengri shamanists, many converted to the Abrahamic faiths through interaction with the Byzantine Empire and successive Islamic caliphates; during the 8th or 9th century, the Khaganate adopted Judaism as the state religion. At their height, the Khazars and their tributaries controlled much of what is today southern Russia, western Kazakhstan, eastern Ukraine, Azerbaijan, large portions of the Northern Caucasus (Circassia, Dagestan, Chechnya), parts of Georgia and the Crimea....More: http://booksllc.net/?id=16635 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Awesome Pictures
We saw this book mentioned on a Kazak adoption internet website and researched more about it here on Amazon.What a True Gem! The Photography is incredible and the side comments/stories etc go into quite a bit of Kazak culture and traditions.Its a very nice 'coffee table' book.Definitely recommend ... Read more

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This books presents authoritative coverage of the country's place in the world, bridging West and East: its spectacular landscape and its ecological challenges; its people and their patterns of life; its turbulent history and astonishing heritage of material culture; its governmental structures; contemporary society; and Kazakhstan's highly significant economy and prospects. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great book for learning about Kaz!
My family is also adopting from Kaz-and we purchased this book as a coffee table book and we have all enjoyed reading it. I was just reading another book that recommended getting yourself aquainted with your child's birth country (when adopting internationally)and recommended getting a coffee table book and actually opening it!We have opened it and enjoy looking at the pictures and I am sure as soon as "Baby Kaz" is old enough, she/he will enjoy looking at it too.

Great for Adoptive Parents
My husband and I are traveling to adopt a child or maybe two from Kazakhstan.I purchased this book as a Christmas present for my husband.We really enjoy reading it together.

There are fabulous pictures, maps and diagrams and it really gives you a quick lesson on the history.My nephews also love looking at the pictures and learning about the country from which their cousins come from.I would definately recommend this book to all of those traveling to Kazakhstan to adopt.I am sure many others would like it, too. ... Read more

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Exploring the religious history of the Kazakh lands, this publication will appeal to enthusiasts of history of religions, sociologists, teachers and students of the history of Central Asia. ... Read more

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The former Soviet republics of Central Asia comprise a sprawling, politically pivotal, densely populated, and richly cultured area of the world. In this comprehensive new treatment, renowned political writer and historian Dilip Hiro places the politics, peoples, and cultural background of this critical region firmly into the context of current international focus. ... Read more

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Based on sources still unavailable in the West, this first English language study of Russian-Kazakh relations provides unorthodox interpretations of many events and introduces new concepts in analysis of contemporary relations. Because political thought found itself a little behind the rapid political change that engulfed the former USSR, a process of adjustment of concepts and development of new approaches is now underway. Examining the complex nature of Russian-Kazakh relations immediately prior to and after the collapse of the USSR, the book examines four major groups of issues in Russian-Kazakh relations: status of ethnic Russians in Kazakhstan; Kazakh and Russian attitudes to post-Soviet integration; bilateral military relations; and Russian and international competition for Kazakhstan's energy resources. ... Read more

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Part of a series that offers mainly linguistic and anthropological research and teaching/learning material on a region of great cultural and strategic interest and importance in the post-Soviet era. ... Read more

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Chapters: Telecommunications in Kazakhstan, .Kz, Postage Stamps and Postal History of Kazakhstan, Kazsat, Kazpost, Telephone Numbers in Kazakhstan, Kazakhtelecom, Kcell. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 24. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: .kz is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Kazakhstan. Registrations can be made directly at the second level (with no requirement of Kazakhstan presence) or at the third level beneath categories which have specific restrictions, and are generally limited to Kazakhstan-related entities. A minor incident was caused when the right to use the domain name www.borat.kz, the website of Sacha Baron Cohen's Kazakh character, Borat, was suspended. The domain-issuing body said that they took this action since false names were given for the site's administrators, and also because the site www.borat.kz was hosted outside Kazakhstan. However, the underlying cause of the action was in order to censor the content of the site: "We've done this so he can't badmouth Kazakhstan under the .kz domain name," Nurlan Isin, President of the Association of Kazakh IT Companies, told Reuters. "He can go and do whatever he wants at other domains." ...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=1236288 ... Read more

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Kazakhstan. History of Kazakhstan, Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, Government of Kazakhstan, Geography of Kazakhstan, Economy of Kazakhstan, Energy policy of Kazakhstan, Foreign relations of Kazakhstan, Military of Kazakhstan, Demographics of Kazakhstan, Religion in Kazakhstan, Education in Kazakhstan, Sport in Kazakhstan, Culture of Kazakhstan, Kazakh cuisine, Music of Kazakhstan, Kazakh wedding ceremony, Media of Kazakhstan, Transport in Kazakhstan, Outline of Kazakhstan ... Read more

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Chapters: Göktürks, Kengir Uprising, Soviet Central Asia, Mongol Invasion of Khwarezmia, Japanese Prisoners of War in the Soviet Union, Zhetysu, Kazakh Khanate, Jeltoqsan, Semipalatinsk Test Site, Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, Manghit, Kerait, Treaty of Saint Petersburg, Jüz, Eset Kotibaruli, Mirjaqip Dulatuli, Vasily Balabanov, Nauryz, 2007 Kazakh Political Shakeup, Jalayir, Shokan Walikhanuli, Khasa Kingdom, Battle of Zhizhi, Kazakhstan in the Russian Empire, Alasha, Mongol Invasion of Central Asia, Onggirat, Great Jüz, Coat of Arms of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, Saray-Jük, Postage Stamps and Postal History of Kazakhstan, List of Kazakh Khans, Qurbān-ʻalī Khālidī, Semirechye Cossacks, Flag of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, Tauke Khan, Little Jüz, Gennady Kolbin, Kazak Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, Tokuz-Oguzes, Abul Khair Khan, Bukey Horde, Janybek Khan, Alash Orda, Isatay Taymanuly, United Nations Security Council Resolution 732, Bokei Horde, Governor-Generalship of the Steppes, Biy, Bayuly. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 235. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: The Kengir uprising was a prisoner uprising that took place in the Soviet prison labor camp Kengir in May and June 1954. Its duration and intensity distinguished it from other Gulag uprisings in the same period (see Vorkuta uprising). After the murder of some of their fellow prisoners by guards, Kengir inmates launched a rebellion and proceeded to seize the entire camp compound, holding it for weeks and creating a period of freedom for themselves unique in the history of the Gulag. Following a rare alliance between the criminals and political prisoners, the prisoners succeeded in forcing the guards and camp administration to flee the camp and effectively quarantine it from the outside. The pr...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=6479362 ... Read more

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The Kyrgyz also spelled Kirgiz, Kirghiz are a Turkic ethnic group found primarily in Kyrgyzstan. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from APS Diplomat Operations in Oil Diplomacy, published by Pam Stein/Input Solutions on August 27, 2001. The length of the article is 995 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: KAZAKHSTAN - Nursultan Nazarbayev - President of Kazakhstan.(history of President Nursultan Nazarbayev's rise to power)(Brief Article)
Publication: APS Diplomat Operations in Oil Diplomacy (Newsletter)
Date: August 27, 2001
Publisher: Pam Stein/Input Solutions
Volume: 42Issue: 2Page: NA

Article Type: Brief Article

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Encyclopedia of Russian History, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 1752 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Providing a comprehensive discussion of the people, politics, economics, religion, culture, and social systems of Russia, this work spans the time from the earliest beginnings of the Russian nation (among the ancient Eastern Slavic tribes) to the end of czarist Russia and on through the rise and fall of the Soviet Union. It provides the necessary information for readers to obtain a greater understanding of and appreciation for Russia in all of its many spheres. ... Read more