CIVIL SOCIETY AND POLITICS IN CENTRAL ASIA by University of Louisville Professor Charles E. Ziegler is Available Now

University of Louisville Distinguished University Scholar and professor of political science Charles E. Ziegler's latest book has been released. Civil Society and Politics in Central Asia explores the political and civic institutions of the Central Asian states pf Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, as well as their rising importance in international affairs. Since joining the faculty of U of L in 1986, Zeigler has become a world-renown expert on Russian and Eurasian international relations. He was an International Affairs Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, served as Executive Director on the Louisville Committee on Foreign Relations, was a Senior Fulbright Scholar, and founded the Center for Asian Democracy. His previous books include Environmental Policy in the USSR, Foreign Policy and East Asia : Learning and Adaptation in the Gorbachev Era, The Russian Far East: A Region at Risk, and The History of Russia.

Ziegler has gathered experts on the region from across the globe to provide fresh insight into an important yet neglected area of the world. These experts bring their unique perspectives to explore not only the political institutions in the region, but also the importance and influence of non-governmental institutions. In addition to detailed essays on each of the five former Soviet republics, the book also contains broader looks at issues affecting them collectively. The authors pay particular attention to the role of religion, particularly Islam; the availability of non-state health care; and the importance of minority associations and other social movement groups, like environmental or women's organizations. The book concludes by placing the region's civil society in an international context by looking at the role played by groups such as NATO, the World Bank, OSCE, and the European Union.

Though Central Asia does not appear often in the Western media, it stands at a strategic crossroads, bordering Russia, China, Iran, and Afghanistan. With the United States' continued involvement in Afghanistan and ongoing nuclear talks with Iran, the state of the region bordering these two vital areas of U.S. interest is paramount. In addition, with Russian President Putin flexing his muscles in Ukraine, these former Soviet satellite nations have taken on added importance due to their proximity to that region. Finally, Central Asia is both autocratic and dominated by Islam, and while it has avoided most of the violence directed at Westerners that has wracked neighboring Afghanistan as well as most of the political upheavals associated with the Arab Spring, the potential for similar problems exists. Without the thorough understanding of the region provided by Ziegler and his contributors, the United States and its allies would be less prepared to deal with any problems arising in this volatile and strategic area.