Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan once harbored grand plans for a high-speed rail network. While its neighbors have pushed ahead with such projects, why has HSR fallen out of favor in Astana?

Although branded as commercial deals, most of the agreements involve a steel and mining company recently acquired and renamed by a state-owned private equity firm in the wake of a tragic mining accident.

Since 2021, 30 judges have been held accountable for corruption, resulting in 15 prison sentences, which notably is more than in the previous eight years combined.

Despite Kazakhstan’s efforts to reschedule the Kashagan maintenance, the drop in production conveniently forces Astana to meet commitments it has made to OPEC+ to reduce oil production. 

State-owned and private construction companies make plenty of money in the process of completing housing developments. It’s the buyers who lose out.

Around 200 nuclear power plants are currently operating in 30 countries around the world. Kazakhstan may well be on its way to joining that list. 

A recent survey of Kazakh civil servants reveals gaps in training and career development. Fostering greater international collaboration could play a critical role in addressing these challenges.

Any conviction under Kazakhstan’s broad extremism statutes lands an individual on the Financing Terrorism List – even if their alleged crime was merely supporting an opposition political party. 

Kazakhstani leaders understand the problem, but efforts to date have not achieved significant success. 

The sixth consultative meeting of the Central Asian leaders concluded without a major breakthrough, but recent Kazakh-Uzbek bilateral agreements could be the key to deepening cooperation in the region.

Duman Mukhammedkarim was accused of financing an extremist group and participating in a banned group's activities for sharing an interview he’d conducted with Mukhtar Ablyazov.