This original study by distinguished scholar Vitaly V. Naumkin offers an authoritative analysis of the key militant Islamic organizations in Central Asia. Long veiled in secrecy, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Hizb at-Tahrir al-Islami, and the Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan are illuminated here for the first time. Drawing on his extensive fieldwork and an unprecedented array of Central Asian primary sources, the author thoroughly compares their doctrines, power bases, and political practices. The book also explores the history of political Islam in Central Asia and explains the concurrent roots of Islamic militancy from the early disputes between Salafis and traditionalists, through the period of Islamic revival in the late 1980s when radical groups first emerged, and up to their growing strength today. Naumkin analyzes the human dimension in Central Asian Islam through the lives of the most significant theologians, mullahs, underground preachers, and teachers in the region, evaluating their role in the spread of Islamic radicalism. Providing fresh insight into the balance between peaceful and militant means of struggle for power used by Islamic movements, the author considers into the possibility of dialogue with the Islamists and the outcome of the 'Tajik experiment' that brought former Islamic radicals into the government. All those interested in the development of political Islam will find this study an invaluable resource.
For the first time after D. H. Müller’s pioneering studies of the 1900s, a large body of folklore texts in Soqotri becomes available to the Semitological scholarship. The language is spoken by ca. 100.000 people inhabiting the island Soqotra (Gulf of Aden, Yemen). Soqotri is among the most archaic Semitic languages spoken today, whereas the oral literature of the islanders is a mine of deeply original motifs and plots. Texts appear in transcription, English and Arabic translations, and an Arabic-based native script. Philological annotations deal with grammatical, lexical and literary features, as well as realia. The Glossary accumulates all words attested in the volume. The Plates provide a glimpse into the fascinating landscapes of the island and the traditional lifestyle of its inhabitants.
In recent years, relations between Russia and the West have entered a controversial phase, characterized by continued rapprochement and close cooperation but also by disagreements on a number of issues, signaling the emergence of a "new rivalry." The West has accused Moscow of pursuing a policy of "managed instability" in those areas of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) where insurgents are active, including Georgia, Azerbaijan and Moldova. It has been alleged that Moscow uses this instability to prevent a consolidation of these states and any subsequent rejection of Russian influence, thus preserving Russia's military presence and demonstrating that ethnopolitical conflicts in the region cannot be settled without Russian intervention. Russia's relationship with the countries of the Caucasus is one of mutual interdependence and Georgia and Azerbaijan are major transit territories for the delivery of energy and Russian goods. Examples of this interdependence include Moscow's investment in the economies of the South Caucasian states and the supply of Russian energy resources to the region. This is of particular importance to Georgia, which has an acute shortage of energy and depends on foreign countries for its supply. The EU is continuing in its effort to build a strategic partnership with Russia in order to safeguard international security for which, in the European politicians' opinion, it is necessary for Moscow to pay greater attention to the obligation to protect the life and well-being of its citizens. Some Russian analysts contend that the period of the US dominated unipolar world is drawing to a close and that Russia has to decide who its main strategic ally is—Europe or America. However, on questions of strategic stability, combating transnational terrorism and the proliferation of WMD, the US is still Russia's principal partner. Russia's gradual rapprochement with the West is of crucial significance for global security, and differences on regional problems can hardly jeopardize progress on this issue.
Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research
Published Date
ISBN 10
9948007980
ISBN 13
9789948007982
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