키르기스스탄 정치 현상의 지속적인 불안정성 원인 분석: 유목문화 기반의 ‘부족정치’(Tribal Politics) 관점을 중심으로 = Analysis of the Causes of the Continuous Instability of Kyrgyzstan’s Political Phenomenon: Focusing on the Perspective of ‘Tribal Politics’ Based on Nomadic Culture

국문 초록 (Abstract)

키르기스스탄이 중앙아시아 주변의 4개국과 마찬가지로 부족 중심의 정치구조를 가지고 있지만 특정 세력이 권력을 장기간 유지하지 못하고 심지어 3번이나 대통령이 하야까지 하는 정치적 불안이 계속해서 나타나고 있다. 이러한 현상은 해당 국가의 부족 간 그리고 부족 내 통치자와 구성원 간에 통치구조와 정치행태가 중앙아시아 주변의 4개국과 다른 점이 있기 때문이라고 가정할 수 있다. 따라서 키르기스인의 민족과 부족의 기원 및 형성, 통치구조, 정치문화 등을 역사적, 문화적 관점에서 순차적으로 분석한다. 그리고 위 내용을 바탕으로 키르기스스탄의 정치 현상이 왜 지속적으로 불안한지 그 원인을 구체적으로 제시한다. 본고에서는 키르기스 부족과 씨족 간 그리고 부족과 씨족 내 지도자와 구성원 간에 나타나는 갈등과 충돌의 원인이 무엇인지를 그리고 같은 유목 정치문화 전통을 가지고 있는 카자흐스탄과 투르크메니스탄의 그것과 어떤 차이가 있는지를 살펴본다.

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The five Central Asian countries have the following in common: First, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan have a historical tradition and culture based on ‘clans’, while Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan have a ‘tribe’ based on nomadism. Second, they experienced authoritarianism and bureaucracy under the Soviet system. Third, multi-ethnicity, multi-culture, and Islam coexist. Fourth, after independence in 1991, they transitioned to capitalism as their economic system, but experienced severe economic stagnation.
Since independence in 1991, the five Central Asian countries have chosen an authoritarian political system led by a specific clan or tribe based on similar historical traditions, culture, and political and economic experiences. In Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, specific clans or tribes have established and maintained a strong and stable authoritarian dictatorship. Unlike the above four countries, in Kyrgyzstan, since independence, tribes based in the north and the south have taken turns in taking power, and the president has stepped down three times in 2005, 2010, and 2020. The form of government has changed from a presidential system to a parliamentary system, a semi-presidential system, and then a presidential system again, and the political situation is still unstable to this day.
Why is the political situation in Kyrgyzstan so different from that of the four surrounding countries among the five Central Asian countries with similar historical traditions, culture, and political and economic experiences? Based on the above question, this study will develop as follows.
First, it can be assumed that the fact that Kyrgyzstan, like the four surrounding countries, has a political structure centered on tribes, but political instability continues to appear, with a specific force unable to maintain power for a long time and even the president stepping down three times, is because the ruling structure and political behavior of the tribes and the rulers and members of the tribes are different from those of the four surrounding countries. Therefore, we will sequentially analyze the origin and formation of the Kyrgyz people and tribes, their ruling structure, and their political culture from a historical and cultural perspective. Second, based on the content analyzed above, we will specifically analyze the reasons why the political situation in Kyrgyzstan is continuously unstable. Here, we will examine the causes of conflicts and clashes between Kyrgyz tribes and clans, and between leaders and members within tribes and clans, and what differences there are from those in Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, which have the same nomadic political and cultural tradition.