ABSTRACT
There is a temptation to exaggerate the extent of the structural changes that occurred in Uzbekistan after independence in 1991. The dissociation of Uzbekistan from the Soviet Union, often over-emphasised by politicians as ‘an epochal’ event, has in fact induced relatively few changes in the state apparatus. The evident survival of political élites, established and consolidated before independence, has meant that Uzbekistan’s turning point has been characterised by an astonishing degree of continuity with the former Soviet period. In view of this marked continuity, it is hardly surprising that political practices current in Soviet times have survived. Regardless of whether this political élite, which grew up within the Soviet system, wishes now to reconsider this tradition or not, pressing domestic issues are likely to force the agenda.
