The Central Asian States: Discovering Independence. - book reviews

This is the book for the anyone who wants the most basic introduction to the region. It covers history, politics, environment, communist development, languages, armed conflicts, and geography, paying critical attention to the details of Glasnost to post-Soviet to mid-1900s social, legal, and political transition.

Central Asia 101.

"By the late 1980s, the practice of extreme specialization in cotton -- a practice that for so long had been heralded as the "patriotic duty" of the Asian republics -- came to be identified as the cause of disastrous social and economic conditions in the Asian republics .... Reflecting popular antagonism toward the "cotton obligation," leaders of opposition groups bitterly attacked the area's cotton specialization, proclaiming that the "Uzbeks are not cotton slaves, but a nation."

"In the semiarid oases and valleys of Central Asia, the value of land was always closely linked to its water supply, In ancient times, the success of local political officials often hinged in their skill at managing local water resources. Streams, irrigation canals, and wells had to be maintained, kept clean, and protected from external threats. highly political decisions regarding the distribution of water had to be made and enforced, and "free riders" -- appropriators attempting to use more than their allotted share of water -- had to be monitored and sanctioned. The mirab, the watermaster of the Central Asian societies ... was responsible for channeling the lifeblood of the society.

... Traditional lore has it that when the mirab position fell vacant by death or some other exigency, a new mirab was chosen through a trial by fire. Candidates who declared their interest ... were given a test in which they were required to build a small demonstration canal from on point to another. The engineer whose canal guided the water to its destination first won the test and became the new mirab. The other contestants suffered more than merely the ignominy of defeat -- they were put to death. This practice reduced the contenders for this important societal post while ensuring the science of irrigation engineering was pursued with a fitting seriousness of purpose.

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