Ajay Patnaik is Professor and former Chairperson in the Centre for Russian and Central Asian Studies of the School of International Studies at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India. He has authored three books - Nations, Minorities and States in Central Asia (2003), Central Asia: Between Modernity and Tradition (1996), and, Perestroika and Women Labour Force in Soviet Central Asia (1989). His other works include two edited volumes, Commonwealth of Independent States, Problems and Prospects (1995) and Russian Civilization (2007). Visiting Scholar in the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Cambridge (1992-93), Exchange Scholar of the Indian Council for Social Sciences Research (ICSSR) at the Institute of Ethnography, Moscow (1999) and Visiting Solanki Professor and Scholar in Residence (2006) at Yadunandan Centre for Indian Studies, California State University, USA, Prof. Patnaik is also the Executive Editor of the Journal Contemporary Central Asia. Dr.