Kyrgyzstan is a country in Central Asia that during its recent 32 years of history has seen three of its president’s overthrown, two instances of mass ethnic violence and 32 prime ministers. After gaining independence in 1991, Kyrgyzstan encountered a range of socio-economic problems associated with the collapse of the USSR, the establishment of a new state, the rupture of traditional economic and trade relations with other Soviet republics, and the suspension of centralized financial subsidies from Moscow. The new government had to seek other sources of funding for its sustainability and development. The international community treated Kyrgyzstan as a “more advanced democracy” (Garcés de los Fayos and Mendonça 2018) than other regional states, as an “island of democracy” (Anderson 1999) surrounded by Russia, other authoritarian Central Asian countries, and China. This recognition led to increasingly international, mainly Western, support, which included development aid and assistance with democratiz‐ ation and governance reforms. There was an expectation that Kyrgyzstan would become a more liberal and prosperous state as a result.

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