Kyrgyzstan's bumpy presidential election this October 30 drew a few harsh words from the international community, which approved the results but said "significant" work was still needed to avoid voter irregularities.But for perspective, look around the Central Asian neighborhood.

In the 20 years since the Central Asian republics of the Soviet Union became independent, the influence of the Russian language has been declining in these countries.

Twenty years ago, an attempted coup took place in Moscow as a last-ditch effort to save the Soviet Union. The coup collapsed within three days, ironically speeding up the demise of the Soviet Union and paving the way for Soviet republics to gain independence. RFE/RL speaks to Central Asian politicians about how they remember the events of August 19-21, 1991.

Two decades after the fall of the Soviet Union, its successor states encompass squeaky clean Scandinavian-style democracies like Estonia, autocratic despotisms like Uzbekistan -- and everything in between. Is it even possible to speak of a coherent "post-Soviet space" anymore?

Many of the problems that plague Central Asia are a result of neighbors who see each other more as rivals than allies. But institutions like the OSCE Academy in Bishkek are trying to reverse that trend by providing rigorous educations for future politicians, entrepreneurs, and civil-society workers, while also encouraging them to think beyond their national borders to the Eurasian region overall.