Soft Power in Central Asia

Kirill Nourzhanov; Sebastien Peyrouse

doi:10.5771/9781793650788

Summary

Central Asia often evokes images of imperial power rivalry dating back to the 19th century. Yet as the region’s international politics becomes more complex in the age of globalization, the need for new ways of looking at its many actors is more pressing than ever. Today even the traditional great powers rely increasingly on subtle forms of influence to augment their military might and economic clout in order to achieve their objectives in Central Asia.

Bearing this in mind, Soft Power in Central Asia examines the patterns of attraction and persuasion that help shape the political choices of countries in the region. Starting with an investigation of soft power projection by the US, Russia and China, it sheds light on normative transfer and public diplomacy of the European Union, Turkey and Israel, and concludes with a discussion of the Central Asian republics’ active stance in the competition for the hearts and minds.

Containing original chapters contributed by leading experts in the field, the volume will appeal to scholars and professionals with interest in international relations, political science and Central Asian studies.

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Bibliographic data

Copyright year: 2021
ISBN-Print: 978-1-7936-5077-1
ISBN-Online: 978-1-7936-5078-8
Publisher: Lexington, Lanham
Language: English
Pages: 282
Product type: Edited Book

1. Contents No access
2. Preface No access
1. Soft Power: Broad Contours of a Popular Concept No access
2. Central Asians as Subjects and Actors of Soft Power Projection No access
3. The Question of Measuring Soft Power No access
4. The Book’s Structure No access
5. Notes No access
6. References No access
1. Early Optimism No access
2. Afghanistan and the Global War on Terror No access
3. Drawdown and Neglect No access
4. 1. Russia No access
  2. China No access
5. Soft Power and the Perpetual “Great Game” No access
6. Conclusion No access
7. Notes No access
8. References No access
1. Russian Soft Power in Central Asia: Objectives, Actors, and Resources No access
2. 1. International Development Assistance No access
  2. Language and Culture No access
  3. Higher Education No access
  4. Compatriots Abroad No access
  5. Working with Central Asian Youth No access
  6. Strategic Communication No access
3. Conclusion No access
4. Notes No access
5. References No access
1. Central Asia in China’s Global Soft Power Strategy No access
2. 1. Promoting Culture through Media, Language, and Education Assistance No access
  2. Softening the Hard Power of Economy No access
  3. A Political “Interfering Non-Interference”? No access
3. Is China Winning the Hearts and Minds of Central Asian Population? No access
4. Conclusion No access
5. Notes No access
6. References No access
1. The EU—An Ambiguous or Absent Soft Power in Out-of-Europe Areas No access
2. Looking for the EU’s Soft Power in Central Asia No access
3. Conclusion No access
4. Notes No access
5. References No access
1. Diyanet No access
2. Education No access
3. The Gülen Movement in Central Asia No access
4. Turkish Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA) No access
5. Culture No access
6. Conclusion No access
7. Notes No access
8. References No access
1. Southern Eurasia, Israel, and the Jewish World No access
2. 1. Image (Re-)Building No access
  2. The Approach of Development Assistance No access
  3. “Israel–Palestine” and Southern Eurasia No access
3. Investment and Trade as Soft Power? No access
4. 1. Southern Eurasia’s Contemporary Jewish Demography No access
  2. Israel and the Jews in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan No access
5. Concluding Remarks No access
6. Notes No access
7. References No access
1. 1. Russia’s Cultural Advantages No access
2. 1. Leveraging Soft Power via CIs and the BRI No access
3. Kazakhstani Responses to Chinese and Russian Soft Power No access
4. Conclusion: Directions of Soft Power in Kazakhstan No access
5. Notes No access
6. References No access
1. 1. History No access
  2. Language No access
  3. Ethnicity and Citizenship No access
  4. Russian Civilization No access
  5. Doing Business “Russian-style” No access
2. Energy Diplomacy No access
3. The Strange Case of Russian Control in Central Asian Media No access
4. Chinese Aid Generally Benefits China No access
5. Central Asia’s Captive Workers No access
6. Hard Power Can Be Soft, Too No access
7. Conclusion No access
8. Notes No access
9. References No access
1. Background No access
2. Neoliberal Civil Society as Soft Power in Tajikistan No access
3. 1. NGO Activists No access
  2. Central Government No access
  3. Local Government No access
  4. Population No access
4. Transformations within the Soft Power of Neoliberal Civil Society No access
5. 1. NGO activists No access
  2. Central Government No access
  3. Local Government No access
  4. Population No access
6. Conclusion No access
7. Notes No access
8. References No access
Index No access Pages 271 - 278
About the Contributors No access Pages 279 - 282