By the end of the 20th century, the nation-state was a well-established organizational form and a preeminent political organization. The emergence of international norms and conventions induces a great deal of conformity among states around the world. At the same time, especially in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, nationalist sentiments and politicized ethnic mobilizations put pressure on states to be responsive to local concerns. These conflicting pressures create a difficult challenge, especially for the 15 newly created states that emerged from the former Soviet Union. Multiple methods are employed to understand the complex political processes in these newly created states. Quantitative analyses are combined with qualitative archival data to examine the parliamentary debates on citizenship legislation and the degree of exclusiveness or inclusiveness in the resulting legislation. These analyses focus on the interplay of external and internal pressures in political debate and in the implementation of citizenship and naturalization policies.
This research will increase understanding of the challenges confronting young states, especially in core policy domains such as citizenship and naturalization. Empirically, this dissertation research enriches our understanding of the dynamics of ethnic and political integration in multicultural post-Soviet republics on the local, regional, and international levels. These insights are valuable to policy makers and citizens committed to the promotion of democracy and political stability in this region.
