Tag
Kazakhstan
Kazakh Activists’ Phones Infected With Pegasus Spyware
By Catherine Putz
According to Amnesty International, the phones of four Kazakh activists were confirmed to have been infected with the Pegasus spyware. There are likely more.
Nazarbayev to Step Down From Nur Otan Party Leadership
By Catherine Putz
Kazakhstan's protracted political transition is moving steadily along.
Kazakhstan’s Poet, Political Dissident Aron Atabek Dies
By Paolo Sorbello
Atabek had served 15 years in prison and died just weeks after his release.
Kazakhstan’s Power Shortages: Crypto Miners and Geopolitics
By Paolo Sorbello
Data centers caused a spike in electricity demand, while the country is still dependent on coal.
EU-Central Asia Economic Forum: Is Central Asia Ready for More Assertive EU Policy?
By Katrina Keegan
At the EU-Central Asia Economic Forum, the EU kept its rhetoric uncontroversial. However, Central Asian countries signaled they may respond well to more ambitious EU goals.
Meta Pushes Back Against Kazakh Claims of ‘Exclusive’ Access to Facebook’s Content Reporting System
By Catherine Putz
"This process is the same in Kazakhstan as it is for other countries around the world," a Meta spokesman told Reuters.
Facebook Grants Kazakhstan Direct Access to Content Reporting System
By Catherine Putz
In giving the Kazakh government direct access to identify content as problematic, Facebook is empowering an autocratic government to further police what its citizens say.
Kazakhstan Still Has a Protest Problem
By Catherine Putz
The Kazakh state still has the final say in who is allowed to engage in public demonstrations.
Kazakhstan’s Light Rail Corruption Case Drags on
By Paolo Sorbello
The capital’s light rail might never be built, and the corrupt officials that stole public funds might never be convicted.
Nuclear Energy in Kazakhstan? The Problem of Accountability
By Nazira Kozhanova
In Kazakhstan, the topic of nuclear energy comes wrapped in the legacy of the Semipalatinsk, the Soviet nuclear testing site.
Open Secrets: Expose Reveals a Kazakh Top Manager’s Business Network
By Paolo Sorbello
Public domain research by Radio Azattyq showed the extent of Kairat Sharipbayev’s private interests.
Can ‘Good’ Economics Coexist with ‘Bad’ Politics?
By Simon Commander
Across the former Soviet Union, improved rankings for selective governance indicators tend to give a misleading view of governments' ability to reform themselves.