Objective
From comparative and historical perspectives, combining case studies and broad analysis, the study seeks to provide analysis of political opposition formation in Post-Soviet Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. The research focuses at the democratisation of the polities in different social, political, cultural settings, and strives to scrutinize how Post-Soviet political opposition apply their resources in the course of consolidation for national state building. Indeed, the region of NIS as an object of research represents a unique example, as political awakening here occurs in different ways. Kyrgyzstan and Russia are optimistic regarding the progress of political opposition, while Tajikistan has chosen another race, on the ground that its people are little suited to democracy. Today Armenia's political development undermined by difficulties of the post-conflict reconstruction.
Case of Tajikistan, is also unique, as it is the only state of the NIS region, where Islamic movement (that is the Islamic Rebirth Party) after nine years of open confrontation, opted to participate in the political process legally, within quasi-democratic structures. Proposed study addresses significant issues concerning political opposition's structure, functions, mechanism of interaction with authorities, the qualitative structure and development trends, stipulated by traditions in these countries, by social and political mentality of the peoples, peculiarities of social psychology, and by the specifications of political culture. Finally, the authors intend to go from data-making and correlation analysis to more deductive and complex ratiocination focusing at the comparison of processes of political opposition crystallization and its consolidation effectiveness in modern Post-Soviet states.
The project will be implemented in the following way: every participant of the working teams from Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan will work individually in close cooperation with INTAS colleagues and the coordinator.
Expected results: draft of the monograph "Democratic Opposition as a Consolidation Factor in Transitional Regimes: Comparative Analysis of Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan;" draft of curricula for political science students. For the dissemination of the project, the applicants expect to make presentations on NGOs, national and international conferences. Applicants wish to stimulate debate on the possible ways of democratisation of NIS countries, among academics, policymakers, local and international NGO activists.
They also intend to use accumulated material, including experimental data as a base for future projects in a broad range of contemporary issues of NIS. Authors want to develop practical recommendations, which may be used as a basis in adopting the legislative acts, which ensure conditions and safety of the opposition activity on the constitutional basis.
Call for proposal
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12529 Berlin
Germany