Post-Soviet Central Asia and post-colonial Francophone Africa: Some associations

An established axiom among historians states that, to put it sharply, 'there are neither similarities, nor parallels in history'. Ergo: no comparisons between different phenomena are legitimate, since any similarities can only be general, vague and superficial. Nevertheless, a comparison between historical situations, as long as it is not simplistic and mechanical and if taken cum grano salis, might be an additional useful tool for a better grasp of a deeper insight into historical realities. This article attempts to add such a tool to understanding the post-Soviet Central Asian states by comparing their relationship with the Russian Federation to that of the post-colonial states of Francophone Africa with France. It does not attempt to compare the states and societies of the two groups. The differences between, and indeed within each of the two groups are too numerous and obvious. Nor does it attempt to enter the argument on whether the case of Russia and the Soviet Union is at all one of 'Colonialism' and 'Imperialism' as defined with regard to the maritime, West European Powers. Finally, this article does not overlook the variances in time between the two phenomena, both those related to chronology - three decades separate between the two - and to the global environment.