Twenty Years After the Fall of the Soviet Union, Muskie Alumni Still Going Strong

Reflecting on the fall of the Soviet Union 20 years ago and the upcoming 20th anniversary of the Muskie fellowship in 2012, Muskie alumnus Medet Tiulegenov from Kyrgyzstan discusses his experience and how he is still applying what he learned in the United States. Tiulegenov is an assistant professor of International and Comparative Politics at American University of Central Asia.

Q: Describe your experience as one of the first Muskie fellows to leave the country and study in the U.S. after the fall of the Soviet Union.

A: Going to the U.S. as a Muskie fellow back in 1994 was a transformative event for me because it was only a few years after the fall of the Soviet Union. And as one of the first people to travel to the west, you can imagine the anticipation was unbelievable. Stereotypes about the US were formed mostly by movies and soap operas. When I came to the US I realized that Americans also, for the first time were starting to see people from the former Socialist Bloc.

Q: What struck you most about being in the U.S. at that time? What were some of those feelings?

A: At Bowling Green Ohio, I learned about the American lifestyle and how they organize their lives. Traffic rules were completely new to me. I did not know how to open and operate a bank account; even the idea of having a private bank account was striking for me. One of the unforgettable experiences was when I used a computer for the first time, learning to type not Russian text, but English. I had to adapt to these changes and others very quickly.

Q: What has been your career path since returning from the Muskie program?

A: Within a week upon returning to Bishkek in October 1996, I begin teaching political science and public administration at the national university. In 1997, I started work with the Soros Foundation where I found more appreciation of what I learned in the U.S. - tight deadlines, intensive written communication in English, and project strategy development. Three years later, I became the youngest executive director of the local office and worked in this capacity until 2008, when I returned to academics teaching at the American University in Bishkek. Much of my professional success was due to the knowledge and skills I gained while studying in the U.S.

Q: How did the program affect the trajectory of your life and career?

A: Studying public administration and political science shaped my interests about changing processes in post-soviet countries like Kyrgyzstan. At Soros I steered the strategy of education and public administration programs to run smoothly and impact policy. There was only one donor when I started, so I fundraised to increase program funding from other donors. Many times, I referred to my experience in the U.S. - what I learned at local organizations, what was discussed with professors and fellow students, and what I read.

Q: What’s the biggest change you’ve witnessed in your community and country from before the fall to now (the last 20 years)?

A: People are taking matters into their own hands and controlling their destinies. There is still a persisting paternalistic culture as it was twenty years ago, but more often people are deciding for themselves. Some regret that you no longer can envision your life path with certainty, but people are realizing that freedom comes with responsibility for your own life as well as the lives of others. People in a small poor country with limited natural resources understand that the only way to prosper is to not wait for the help of the government, but to do work on their own. On the other side, the government should be accountable for the well being of their people.

Q: How do you see yourself contributing to changes in Kyrgyzstan in the next 20 years?

A: I hope the students in my classroom will be active both in civil society and the government of Kyrgyzstan five to ten years from now, and I hope that whatever good I see for my country would be brought by them. Besides that, academic professors and students of Kyrgyzstan usually do not confine themselves to the classroom and tend to actively participate in molding the future of the country using their talents. I will do the same.

The Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship Program is a program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, US Department of State, and is administered by IREX.