The Spread of Hereditary Succession in the former Soviet Union: Political dynasties in Central Asia?

Friday, 6 July 2018, 9:30 – 11:00 am
in English

In conversation with...
Thomas Ambrosio (North Dakota State University) and Ann-Sophie Gast (Chair)

Autocratic rulers have different tools and strategies at their disposal to ensure the preservation of power and the longevity of their regimes. Grooming possible successors amongst family members and transferring power to them is one of these autocratic survival strategies. There is an interesting cluster of hereditary succession in the post-Soviet region. President Gurbanguly Berdymuchammedow of Turkmenistan, for instance, has recently made his oldest son Serdar Berdymuchammedow deputy foreign minister and is expected to pass the presidency on to him soon. Also Ilham Aliyev, president of Azerbaijan, followed his father Heydar Aliyev in office. Thomas Ambrosio will present preliminary findings on an ongoing research project on hereditary grooming and discuss political and policy implications. Special attention will be paid to leadership succession in the Central Asian countries.

Prof. Dr. Thomas Ambrosio is a Professor of Political Science at the Faculty of Criminal Justice and Political Science at North Dakota State University. His research focuses on Russian foreign policy and the stability of authoritarian regimes in the post-Soviet region.