Paper abstract:

The paper bridges the gap on legal and politico-legal dimensions of the external rule of law promotion initiatives of the so-called western actors such as the European Union (EU) and the United States of America (USA) in the Central Asia region. The thesis answers the question of how rule of law is contextualized, and what are the reasons for repetitive, continuous attempts to promote rule of law despite the absence of meaningful outcomes on the ground. In addressing these questions, the thesis draws on the methods of socio-legal research by employing case study method, content (document) analyses, and semi-structured expert interview techniques.