Discussion on Caucasus’ colonialism compares Kadyrov with Emir of Bukhara

The issues of colonial practices of the Caucasus and Central Asia were discussed at the sitting on "Caucasus and Central Asia: Colonialism Factor in Imperial and Soviet Epochs", which took place on February 15 within the regular scientific-practical seminar "Caucasus in the Past and the Present (Society and Politics, Economy and Culture)”.

Professor Sergey Abashin, an expert on history of Central Asia at the Saint PetersburgEuropeanUniversity, saw some parallels of the imperial epoch with today.

"Central Asia had, for example, the Turkestan General-Governorate with direct ruling, and the Bukhara Emirate, where the local ruler, dependent on Petersburg, enforced domestic policy based on his own local laws. The current head of Chechnya, for example, is very similar in his powers to the Emir of Bukhara; being in external dependence on the metropolis, he, nevertheless, has almost absolute power within the territory under his control," said Professor Abashin.

In his turn, Vadim Mukhanov, a Senior Fellow at the Centre of the Caucasus’ and Regional Security Problems and the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (known as MGIMO), has noted that the situation of the 19^th century is in no way similar to the today’s one; and there can be no analogy in governing institutions.

"The then Viceroys of the Caucasus had full political powers, while now, presidential envoys are more symbolic figures, the fullness of the administrative power is in hands of heads of republics," said Vadim Mukhanov.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.