Post-Succession Scenarios in Central Asia
The first generation of Central Asian presidents will not be around forever. It is only a matter of time before the region experiences several successions stemming, most likely, from the…
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Kazakhstan
101 posts
The Sochi Syndrome Afoot in Central Asia: Spectacle and Speculative Building in Baku, Astana, and Ashgabat (co-authored)
“Baku has a historical beauty. Ancient Baku has its own beauty, and it is a source of our pride. At the same time, the rejuvenating and modernizing Baku has already…
Kazakhstan and the “Russian World”: Is a New Intervention on the Horizon?
Russia’s annexation of Crimea and subsequent support for separatists in eastern Ukraine gave rise to fears that this scenario could be repeated elsewhere. Especially worrisome is the fact that the…
How Russia’s Food Embargo and Ruble Devaluation Challenge the Eurasian Customs Union
The Russian economic crisis of 2014-15 has dramatically affected cross-border trade among the three central states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia (all of which are…
Is Kazakhstan’s ‘dialogue of civilizations’ all about image, or doing some real good?
(Monkey Cage/WP) On June 10 and 11, Kazakhstan hosted the Fifth Congress of World Religions. Doing so was an important moment for the country, allowing it to attract international attention and display its…
The Power of Soft Power in Kazakhstan
(Monkey Cage/WP) Presidential elections were held in Kazakhstan on April 26, 2015. Incumbent president Nursultan Nazarbayev was easily reelected with more than 97 percent of the votes. The majority of the…
Schatz: Kazakhstan’s state institutions are fairly hollowed out
(AFP) — McGlinchey: A desire to be accepted abroad has led Nazarbayev to pursue a "less brutal and pernicious" form of authoritarianism. — (Kazakhstan) A shepherd's son who counts former British prime…
Cooley and Kassenova on Nazarbayev’s reelection
(NYTimes) Voters in Kazakhstan were set to re-elect an incumbent on Sunday who has ruled the country since the Soviet Union collapsed, in an election that could have only one outcome. Nursultan…
Kassenova: Kazakhstan’s future is ridden with political risks whether Nazarbayev stays in power or steps down
(EurasiaNet) Kazakhstan is holding a snap, opposition-free presidential election on April 26 that should enable septuagenarian President Nursultan Nazarbayev to remain in power through the end of the decade. The 74-year-old…
Russia, Central Asia and the Eurasian Economic Union
(RAD) This edition is co-produced with the Central Asia Program at George Washington University. It considers how the Ukraine crisis and the Russian economic slowdown are impacting the Central Asian Republics,…