"Back to the Routes" – Kyrgyzstan's Renewal of the Nomadic Life Style

Central Asia is regaining the importance it used to have, due to individual collaborations between the ex-Soviet states, but above all due to the integration or special role as a bridge between Asia and Europe in the course of the Belt and Road Initiative. Not only is the transcontinental and transnational cooperation increasingly offered in the course of the Silk Road Initiative, but certain countries are rediscovering themselves, and reviving forms of life that were in part prohibited. The Soviet command economy has had its day in the period of the independent states’ self-discovery, as well as during the structural crisis. The survivability of nomadism is particularly evident in the countryside, where it became important again after its prohibition. Nevertheless, adaptation to the new circumstances and economic opportunities, and challenges, is necessary. The Silk Road is a symbol that officially stands for a lively, functioning political, social and economic ecosystem – whether it works depends on everyone involved. The present text presents the historical and current economic and social situation of the individual Central Asian ex-Soviet republics and their path in the future.