English Summaries of Major Articles

This document is a compilation of English summaries of various academic and political articles published in the 1989 issue of 'Narody Azii i Afriki'. The report covers a diverse range of topics, primarily focusing on the economic, political, and historical developments in Asia, the USSR, and Africa. The first section discusses state policy towards small business in Oriental countries, noting the challenges of balancing state control with market-oriented growth. Subsequent sections analyze the 'non-capitalist' development model in Central Asian Soviet republics, criticizing past theoretical approaches that ignored real-world complexities. The report also touches upon the Truman Doctrine and its impact on Soviet-Turkish relations, as well as the religious and mythological concepts of pre-Moslem Turkic peoples, highlighting the syncretism of shamanism, Buddhism, and Manichaeism. Further articles explore the political theories of medieval lawyer Abu-l-Hasan al-Mawardi, the modeling of historical time and space, and the economic history of the East. Notably, the report includes a brief summary of an article by A.D. Dikaryov regarding the emergence of interest in Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) in China during the 1980s. This interest is described as a byproduct of the 'cultural revolution' and the subsequent thirst for knowledge, leading to the formation of organizations and the publication of periodicals such as 'Feidie Tansuo' (Studies of Flying Saucers). The document concludes by noting that while some modern works criticize these attempts to find historical evidence for UFOs, they generally do not dispute the main modern concept of the UFO as a product of alien mind.