"The contemporary Uzbek nation-state and national identity: Soviet legacy and post-socialist developments"

Crossroads Asia Lecture by Alisher Ilkhamov (SOAS London) at ZEF in Bonn

Dr. Alisher Ilkhamov will talk on the consequences for Uzbekistan of NATO’s impending withdrawal from Afghanistan, which is slated for completion by the end of 2014 and creates new challenges for Uzbekistan, its security, and its sovereignty. The author believes that Uzbekistan should seek solutions above all by not joining an arms race, but rather by advancing a domestic nation-state-building agenda (one which is far from being complete). This agenda should be implemented in accordance with lessons drawn from the history of modern nation states, which have built strong foundations by transcending ties of locality and kinship to create a universalism based on the political and civic association of free citizens, who are ready to stand and defend not only their local communities but the polity they identify with. From this position, the paper assesses Uzbekistan’s current ability to withstand external challenges posed by the uncertainty of its relationship with Afghanistan in the post-2014 era. It compares the military capabilities of the two nations, and concludes that the loyalty of Uzbekistan’s citizens, which can only be ensured by democratic means, is no less important than its military capacity.

Time and location: Wednesday, July 3th, 2013, 11 am, at ZEF (right conference room, ground floor) in Bonn.

Please note, that the lecture takes place at 11 am in the morning not 4 pm in the afternoon as previously announced!