LECTURE- Alexander Kupatadze, Politics and Crime in Georgia and KG, AUCA, 6/6

Distrib. by: Central-Eurasia-L - Announcement List for Central Eurasian Studies

LECTURE- Alexander Kupatadze, Politics and Crime in Georgia and KG, AUCA, 6/6

Posted by: Social Research Center <src@mail.auca.kg>

LECTURE: "Political-Criminal-Business Nexus in Post-Revolutionary
Georgia and Kyrgyzstan: Comparative Analysis", Alexander Kupatadze,
Social Research Center, AUCA, Bishkek, June 6, 2007

The Social Research Center at AUCA (www.src.auca.kg) presents:

Lecture: "Political-Criminal-Business Nexus in Post-Revolutionary
Georgia and Kyrgyzstan: Comparative Analysis"

Presenter: Alexander Kupatadze, PhD Candidate, School of International
Relations, University of St. Andrews, UK, Visiting Research Fellow,
Social Research Center, AUCA, Bishkek

Date and time: 17:00, Wed., June 6, 2007
Venue: Room 232, Main Building, AUCA
Language: English. If requested, translation into Russian will be provided

The nature and ramifications of 'colored revolutions' in post-Soviet
Eurasia has raised many debates in international society, and they
have been called 'democratic processes' or 'fourth wave of
democratization'. However, the "democraticness" of these events, as
well as the usage of the term 'revolution' still needs to be explored.
For instance, Georgia has witnessed unprecedented pressure on free
media and deterioration in human rights after the 'Rose Revolution' of
2003, while rise in corruption and organized crime is evident in
Kyrgyzstan since 'Tulip Revolution' in 2005. Furthermore, it is still
not clear whether there is A radical break with the past in
'post-revolutionary' era, especially in Kyrgyzstan.

This lecture is an attempt to explain the variations between the two
cases. The crucial questions are why organized crime has skyrocketed
in "post-revolutionary" Kyrgyzstan and why the reverse process has
developed in Georgia? Why the re-distribution of spoils has been a
violent process in Kyrgyzstan and why not in Georgia? The lecture will
focus on political-criminal-business nexus in Georgia and Kyrgyzstan
and discuss the impact of the 'revolutions' on this nexus. It is
argued that strength/weakness of political opposition to
'pre-revolutionary' elites, instability of political scene and
involvement of organized criminals in 'revolutionary processes' among
others, are the main factors explaining "post-revolutionary"
developments in the two countries.

How to register: Please RSVP to pss@mail.auca.kg giving your name and
institution.

_______________________________________________
Central-Eurasia-L mailing list
Central-Eurasia-L@lists.fas.harvard.edu
http://lists.fas.harvard.edu/mailman/listinfo/central-eurasia-l