Contrary to the expectations in the early independence era, Azerbaijan has moved away from establishing a Western-type liberal democratic regime. Yet, the political processes in the country cannot be understood using the old conceptual frameworks on twentieth century authoritarianism. Demonstrating some characteristics of the hybrid regimes, Azerbaijan still possesses strong social and political dynamics, which may reemerge in unexpected ways. Against such a background, this book attempts to answer some que

What is the relationship between civil society and democracy? How can civil society develop in societies with an authoritarian past? What are the implications of foreign assistance to civil society? These are some of the questions addressed in this book which puts Kyrgyzstan into the broader literature on civil society, democratization and post-communist transformations. Democracy promotion through civil society development was a highly popular trend in the 1990s and early 2000s as a result of the so-calle