Oil, Islam, and Authoritarianism: Central Asia in Global Politics - Essay Example

Oil, Islam and itarianism: Central Asia in Global Politics A common feature in countries, which control vast deposit of natural resources, is the poor performance in the international politics or economy (Busby, et. al. 2005:146). Natural resource poor countries post impressive results in politics as well as economic growth. Analysts have identified this peculiar feature and have been able to make explanations to prove the trend. Political stability and structure is a major factor that influences development of a nation. On the contrary, resource rich nations portray a scenario which seem to suggest that natural resources that these countries command is an impediment to political, economic and social aspects of the country. The intention of this paper is to analyze the degree of impediment created by abundance natural resources in central Asia republics in relation to political, social, and economic development. Political critics attribute civil war to mineral deposits in various nations (Brooks, and Kurtz, 2012:3). Inadequacy of natural resources is one of the factors that social theorist had associated with civil strife, but later development has proved that resource rich nations have poor political structures which suggest influence of natural resources. Citizens of these nations have not been able to enjoy the resources because some communities tend to feel the mining or exploitation of the resources would influence the social welfare of their communities. The notion behind community strife is that natural resource would benefit a given community. The negative ethnicity perpetrated by the argument erodes political structures of these nations. Political growth depends on stability that the nation would enjoy. Politically tumultuous nations have no respect for global structures for political activities. Civil strife undermines efforts that citizens make towards realizing political reforms (Roudik, 2007:143). Researchers have mentioned Central Asian Republics along side countries in central Africa as simmering in civil strive because of the struggle to acquire control of the natural resource. Politics is beneficial if it can uphold standards that enhance respect for human dignity. Events, which undermine human dignity, suggest little respect for political activities. Nations with proper institutional capacity has been able to promote political growth. Social structure largely depends on political gains. Social critics believe that social gains witnessed in countries with limited resource banks are because of political structures, which address the concern of these nations (Buyers, 2003:156). Political structure is a means through which citizens can channel their grievances to their governments. Autocratic political structures with limited room citizens’ contribution dictate the direction that the nation would take in political sphere. Social theories have suggested that some nations, which have rich oil deposits, hamper political efforts geared towards democracy (Busby, et. al. 2005:146). Political development of a nation depends on social influence, which comes from representatives in governments. Oil is one of the factors, which influence policy development in the political sphere. Three distinct areas which natural resource factor influence are modernization, inequality, and effects of government policies. The move to link outcomes of governance to production or reserves of natural resources has been a long study, which intended to explain unequal patterns of development in these nations. Political elites have stake in the oil production or natural resource production. The stake aims at improving the lives of a few people at the expense of the whole nation. Rhetoric of capitalism projects the scenario to capitalistic ideologies, which aim at benefitting a few at the expense of many. The idea behind this social vice is hold power by controlling natural resources that would influence livelihood of the people. For instance, a nation such as Azerbaijan has been poor despite its natural resources such as oil. It citizens have not been able to make any remarkable step in poverty fight. The perception among its leadership is to safe guard elective positions by using the natural resources to benefit a few people (Arvanitopoulus, 2002:3). Elites in these nations have realized that welding power is through influencing political outcomes. Political growth depends on the goodwill of the elites to institute policies, which will instigate growth. Turmoil in one nation is a blessing to a few would gain control of the resource. Political theories describe such conditions as retrogressive politics hatched with ill intention to market the interest of a few (Weinthal and Luong, 2006:38). Political critics argue that certain natural resources impede development through rentier effects (Busby, et. al. 2005:145). The argument is that easy resource control leads to three consequences. First, the nation would demonstrate less need to tax its population, which would, translates into state influence to create development. In the same note, citizens have little or no ability to influence state governance. Creation of development is one way which the state exercises its authority over citizenry. However, failure of the states to tax its people would influence pressure that come from citizens to the state. The analogy is citizens would hold the state accountable for the money, which they remit through taxation. The ability of the citizens to pressurize the government is limited to the amount of tax the citizens pay. Countries where citizens pay high tax levies would dictate government commitment in addressing the social needs. Second, the government can use the exogenous revenue to mollify social outcome through various mechanism, which includes directing benefits to population, buying critics, patronage, infrastructure projects, or outright grafts (Ballentine, K and Nitzschke, H. 2005:3). Citizens subjected to the above influences will demonstrate little willingness to exploit political rights because the essence of political struggle does not matter. For instance, buying political critics is a method that many governments have used to blind their nations. A nation without political critics is likely to undertake its projects with out any direction. Critics usually influence societal opinion about intended development agenda that the government should fulfill (Busby, et. al. 2005:146). Governments of these nations have influenced their political development through infringing rights of the critics leading to political patronage. Third, the nation uses its powers to repress dissenters (Smit, H. P. 2008:18). Media control in central Asia an evidence of government ability to control social structure, which will influence political reform. The states are cautious about the influence that media is likely to exert in reforming the political dementia. Delayed modernization is a concept that nations rich in resources would handle with caution. Modernization influences activities in a country by transforming sectors into industrially potential avenues where citizens can change their lives. Urbanization is a direct result of modernization, which occurs due to demand for skills and business avenues, which can support the growing population. Social critics believe the process of urbanization influences democracies or policies, which dictate modern growth. States have demonstrated resistance to modernization (industrialization) because it creates other power sources (urban labor, urban industrialists and middle class), which would, after attaining some growth, influence government accountability (Busby, et. al. 2005:147). Instigating measures that would pressurize the government to account for its operation would eventually lead to political development. The essence is to manage the group before it emerges. Industrialization influence infrastructural development, which has a direct influence to the economy. In normal conditions, industrialization would attract institutions to develop interests in the nations thereby creating avenues for economic development. Efforts geared towards thwarting modernization (high standards of urbanization, occupational specialization, or education) because these nations derive their budgets from small labor force, which demonstrate sophisticated ability whose relevance is applicable abroad (Smit, H. P. 2008:18). For instance, foreign companies take the active role in mining these minerals. The result of the situation is little pressure generated to the government to increase labor organizations or political influence. The idea behind labor movement is to create better terms. Concomitantly, citizens lack the collective power that comes through movements to voice their grievances to the government (Busby, et. al. 2005:145). The sophistication in the natural resource sector leaves the society poor because the generated income does not influence social growth. The notion behind the argument is that political power originates from common interest that people share in workplaces and societal structures (Weinthal and Luong, 2006:43). Since these nations have a few nationals in the resource sector, industrial labor influence does not exist. The urge to change the existing condition is the power that drives citizens to pressurize the government. Governments of these nations have been able to shelve the interests of the citizens by sourcing international labor, which has little or no say in the social or political development in these countries. Entrenched inequality is another factor that is eminent among nations, which have rich natural resources (Billon, 2001:563). Entrenched inequality is a situation created by the influence of exports to political structures and economic development. For instance, political analogy of North and South America gives a picture of how resource accumulation impedes democratization. The features in North America consisted of small landowners while the situation in South America consisted of Land barons. South America land barons resisted any move that intended to create democratic movement as opposed to North American peasants who joined hand to advocate for social changes. The above analogy applies to central Asian republics where a few barons resist any move that influence political conditions in the nation (Billon, 2001:564). Social development in these nations would be eminent when the public have direct ability to influence resource management. Economic situations of a country’s assets would influence creation of economic policies. Pressure to create reforms in the economic sector would largely depend on economic conditions, which affects lives of citizens. Export composition influence social development of a country (Beck, 2010:3). Companies mining minerals in central Asia Republics direct social development in their nations because these companies bank proceeds got from their business in the mother countries. The composition leaves the country with little revenue to initiate social programs. Development of social structures depend bon the ability of the government budget (Weinthal and Luong, 2006:48). In an event where the exporting company belong the mining country, revenues earned would return home. Imported workers exert similar influence to the economy because the money they earn from their services abroad tends to help their countries of origin. The earning that these nations lose from their choice of natural resource exploiting companies has economic effects to their growth. Critics believe that a change of trends would occur when organizations handling exportation of natural resources belong to these nations. Export structure chosen by a nation would influence the ability of the country to create institutions, which could exploit the natural resource. Weak links usually leave the country with little income to foot its budget (Syed and Ozbilgin, 2010:94). The situation would propagate inability to develop infrastructure, which would largely translate into the country’s social development. Certain nations have failed to engage in economic talks with other countries, which could influence their exploitation of resources. Social development requires many funds, which these nations are unable to foot bearing the choices of economic development. Link between poor governance and the exporting country would generate negative result as opposed to link developed between good governance and exporting country. Social development requires the motivation from the government. Resource mobilization without structures in the government, which promote such interests, is an indication of social regression (World Bank, 2011:125). The interest must transcend beyond the interest of a few to the interest nation. Failure to achieve this would result to retrogressive growths in both social and economic sector. In conclusion, natural resource rich Central Asian republics have not be able to demonstrate political growth, social development and economic growth because of the impediments created by resources they have. Notions in support of the argument indicate that deliberate delay of modernization by the government is a ploy to concentrate power. Disintegration of power, which occurs whenever industrial movements are set, would political structure of the nation. On the contrary, these nations have been able to suppress political development through rentier effects. The effects created whenever citizens pay taxes would be eminent through their pressure to the government. Instead, the government would exercise little tax administration, which influences citizen pressure on the government. Entrenched inequality in the nation undermines democratization. Power in the hands of the elites would influence social outcomes since gains from natural resources would influence the lives of a few. The choice of export composition would directly influence economic development of these nations. Choice of international organization and imported labor undermine the ability of citizens to form industrial movements, which could pressurize the government to instigate political change. Bibliography Arvanitopoulus, C. 2002. The Geopolitics of Oil in Central Asia. Available from: http://groups.uni-paderborn.de/kowag/geoeconomics/pdf/tgooica.pdf [Accessed 10 April 2012] Ballentine, K and Nitzschke, H. 2005. Profiting from Peace: Managing Resource Dimension of Civil War. Available from: https://www.rienner.com/uploads/47deaf6540422.pdf [Accessed 10 April 2012] Beck, T. 2010. Finance and Oil Is there a resource curse in financial development? Available from: http://arno.uvt.nl/show.cgi?fid=114572 [Accessed 10 April 2012] Billon, L. P. 2001. The political ecology of war: natural resources and armed conflicts. Political Geography 20 (2001) 561–584. 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