Bücher von Martha Brill Olcott

In Uzbekistan, Central Asia's most populous country, Islam has been an ever-present factor in the lives of its people and a contentious force for political officials trying to build a secular and authoritarian government. In the Whirlwind of Jihad examines the intertwined and evolving relationships between religion, the state, and society in Uzbekistan from the late 1980s to today.

Traces the political, economic, and social change following Tajikistan 's independence and international efforts to avert state collapse. Olcott concludes that the Tajik leadership faces a serious dilemma: fully embrace reform or continue moving toward state failure. Tajikistan's decision will have very real implications for this troubled region.

A leading authority on Central Asia offers a sweeping review of the region's path from independence to the post-9/11 world. The first decade of Central Asian independence was disappointing for those who envisioned a straightforward transition from Soviet republics to independent states with market economies and democratic political systems.