CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VOLUME VIII (1) ContemporaryEurasia81 | Page 54

CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE: WHAT IS BISHKEK’S HEDGING STRATAGEM?
Following the post-Soviet smuta [time of troubles] and the collapse of
the Soviet Union as the dominant Eurasian hegemon in 1991, a geopolitical
power void emerged, contributing to various security challenges in Central
Asia that consequently became a highly volatile region. These conditions
have been primarily constituted by transnational organised crime, divisive
clan politics and – most substantially – the so-called “three evils”.
Kyrgyzstan, along with the other Central Asian republics, recognised the
necessity to re-establish a political order, embracing bargaining interactions
with dominants amidst the domestic struggles for power and the quest to find
its place in the international system. 34 Bishkek has traditionally formulated
multidirectional foreign policy, seeking comprehensive engagement with
potential dominants (i.e. Russia, China, the West) as a post-independence
grand strategy, in order to obtain substantial security and economic
bargains. 35 Facing inter-ethnic tensions in the domestic dimension, as well as
on-going threats stemming from the war in Afghanistan since the USA
launched its War on Terror, Kyrgyzstan has reiterated its signals of security
commitment to containing the subversive forces in Central Asia. In
particular, it is committed to the enhancement of regional institution-making,
primarily (1) the CSTO and (2) the SCO.
(1) In order to combat the aforementioned threats in the post-Soviet
space appropriately, the Collective Security Treaty was signed in 1992 as the
basis for comprehensive military engagement, which was further enhanced
by the creation of the CSTO in 2002. 36 Within the framework of the CSTO,
Russia is recognised as the prime force concerning its formidable military
capabilities, compared to the other members. The inception of the CSTO can
hence be regarded as a “social contract”. Since Russia provides sufficient
military armament and equipment and displays its significant deployability
by increasing the number of military bases in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and
Kyrgyzstan, it does simultaneously contribute to the generation of a regional
security order. Due to the establishment of a permanent consultation
platform, the member states are, in turn, able to renegotiate the bargains
corresponding to their respective security preferences and interests with
Russia. 37
Kyrgyzstan’s commitment is, thereby, of particular significance for
34
P. Stobdan, Central Asia. Democracy, Instability and Strategic Game in Kyrgyzstan (New
Delhi: Pentagon Press, 2014), 105-106.
35
Ibid., 5.
36
CSTO, “Dogovor o kollektivnoy bezopasnosti ot 15 maya 1992 goda [Treaty of Collective
Security of May 15 th 1992]”, online available at http://odkb-csto.org/documents/ (accessed
June 23 2018); CSTO, “Ustav Organizatsii Dogovora o kollektivnoy bezopasnosti ot 23
oktyabrya 2002 goda [Charter of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation of October 23 rd
2002]”, online available at http://odkb-csto.org/documents/ (accessed June 23 2018).
37
Vladimir M. Zakharov, “Sostoyanie i perspektivy razvitiya Organizatsii Dogovora o
kollektivnoy bezopasnosti [Status and Perspectives of the Development of the Collective
Security Treaty Organisation]”, Problemy national'noy strategii, Vol. 12, No. 3 (2012): 84-97.
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