ABSTRACT
This book primarily aims to look into some of the most pressing and challenging issues that Kyrgyzstan faces in the post-Soviet era. It also intends to focus on three specific areas that are in fact quite related to each other: political leadership and constitutional reform, reconstruction of Kyrgyz identity and educational reform. These three areas are believed to be among the most basic in realizing the process of post-Soviet transition. In the post-Soviet era, similar to other Central Asian countries, Kyrgyzstan is challenged by various conflicts between the old and the new on the one hand, and domestic and international on the other. In all these areas, the legacy of the past meets with the requirements of the post-Soviet transition, and domestic conditions and priorities of Kyrgyzstan are also shaped or influenced to some extent by certain international actors and their priorities. The Kyrgyz case, however, seems to be unique, as this country has suffered more than the others in recent years from political tensions and instability, as well as economic problems.
