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Document Type

International Studies and Languages

Abstract

Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, two countries nearly identical in their foundational features, are moving along starkly different governmental trajectories. The dominant explanation for this divergence accounts for both structural and personalistic influences. In Turkmenistan, literature examines how an established patronal authoritarianism, necessitated by a concentrated elite and economic network, led the country along a strong authoritarian trajectory with a high degree of cult of personality. In contrast, a networked patronal authoritarianism in Uzbekistan, comprised of political and economic power-sharing, led the country along a weaker authoritarian trajectory with a lower degree of personalism. Thus, previous research has addressed how institutional structures shape cult of personality degrees, but not how both can concomitantly reinforce one another. Using the Method of Difference, qualitative and quantitative literature, and relevant datasets, this essay identifies a self-reinforcing feedback loop in Turkmenistan. In this cycle, an established patronal authoritarianism led to an entrenched personality cult and this personality cult continues to reinforce the government’s established patronal system and overarching authoritarian scaffolding, thereby constraining the current leader. Conversely, a networked patronal authoritarianism in Uzbekistan led to a weaker personality cult, and thus does not fall into this cycle. This essay provides a lens for analyzing the political trajectories of numerous countries around the world, underlining the importance of variation within autocratic systems. It not only contributes scholarly work to the international studies community but also underscores ways of examining autocratic governance through a comparative lens.

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