PSCE Conference 
Abstracts: Seminar 1, Session 3
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ISLAM AND THE SOVIET SUCCESSOR STATES
Reuel R. Hanks, Oklahoma State University
Radical Islam in Uzbekistan : Issues of Policy and Conflict in Central Asia's Keystone State
The "re-Islamization" of society in independent Uzbekistan has proven to be a complex process, generating conflict in the social, cultural and political spheres. Since the early 1990s, the Karimov regime has sought to undermine any manifestation of "unofficial" Islam via imprisonment of the leadership, implementation of repressive statutes governing religious activity, and other coercive means. Yet, since 1999 Uzbekistan has experienced more religious violence directed against government power structures by "extremists" than any other former Soviet republic in Central Asia . Since late 2001 Uzbekistan has been a partner in the "war on terror," and as such, has benefited economically, politically and militarily from the relationship. Yet some issues that should direct U.S. policy remain unresolved: How significant is the threat from radical Islam in Uzbekistan, i.e., what are the chances of politicized, "fundamentalist" Islam emerging as a mass movement there? Has recent U.S. policy reduced or exacerbated the dynamics of conflict between the regime and the "radicals?" And, how might policy be modified to effect resolution?
Dmitry Shlapentokh, Indiana University , South Bend
Eurasianism and the Foreign Policy of the Putin Regime
The end of the cold war and the collapse of the USSR and the rise of the USA as the only super power led to the rise of the various anti-American ideologies, and in itself had reflected the attempts of the various states/movements to confront the U.S.A. Eurasianism in its various manifestations is one of these ideologies.
While accepting many of the ideological elements of traditional Russian nationalism, Eurasianism is different from it in one important aspect: its proponents see Turkic people (mostly Muslim people of the former USSR and present-day Russia) as important or even more important allies of Russians than the Slavs. Eurasianists also see quite a few Asians outside of the borders of Russia/former USSR as potential Russian allies. This is, first of all, related to Muslim countries of the Middle East , both Iran and Arab countries. Some of the proponents of Eurasianism even see Israel as a potential ally of Russia and assumed that it is Russian not the U.S.A. that will reconcile Arabs and Jews.
One might state that many of the actions of Putin's regime, both in foreign and domestic policy, follow Eurasianist paradigms. The focus of the paper is therefore as follows:
- to demonstrate how present-day Eurasian paradigms see the world in which Russia lives;
- what kind of practical actions have been undertaken or might be undertaken by the Putin regime in the context of this Eurasian paradigm; and
- how these actions might influence American geopolitical posture.
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