Tag
Kazakhstan

Low Turnout and a Victory for Kazakhstan’s Ruling Party in Parliamentary Polls
By Catherine Putz
Despite hundreds of independent self-nominated candidates, Kazakhstan’s new parliament will much resemble its former self.

Joyful and Angry: A Feminist Demonstration in Kazakhstan
By Paolo Sorbello
Pressured not to hold a march, feminist groups in Almaty gathered in their hundreds for a rally anyway.

Kazakhstan Impounds Property of Roscosmos Subsidiary
By Catherine Putz
A debt dispute sits atop a host of other political risks, inserting uncertainty into operations at the important Baikonur spaceport.

Kazakhstan’s General Shuffle: Tracing Tokayev’s Military Personnel Changes
By Francisco Olmos
In the wake of Qandy Qantar, Kazakh President Tokayev shook up the military brass. Where do things stand now?

Unpacking Geopolitical Competition and Energy Security in Central Asia
By Catherine Putz
A U.S. Senate subcommittee recently explored U.S. policy toward Central Asia amid the war in Ukraine and intense concern about global energy security.

Reforms and Investment Needed to Power Central Asia’s Clean Energy Future
By Tatiana Proskuryakova and Charles Cormier
As Central Asian governments roll out energy sector reforms, private investment is set to play a key role in economic development and the clean energy transition.

Neither Exciting nor Boring: Kazakhstan Prepares for Parliamentary Elections
By Paolo Sorbello
The announced opening up of the political field still fails to leave room for opposition.

Is the Aral Sea a Lost Cause?
By Elena Gordillo
The impacts of the Aral Sea’s desiccation are threatening the lives of millions and hopes for its revival are plummeting.

Kazakhstan’s Uranium Industry and the Middle Corridor Come Together
By Wilder Alejandro Sánchez
Astana is betting heavily on the Middle Corridor as a route to access the international energy market without Russia.

Kazakhstan’s Media, Journalists Under Pressure
By Paolo Sorbello
An attack on a journalist highlights the difficult environment for the press.

Kazakhstan Annuls Law ‘On the First President’
By Catherine Putz
As expected, following last summer’s constitutional referendum dropping references to “elbasy,” many of the First President’s other special privileges are ending.

Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Kazakh Energy Ministers Sign Kambar-Ata-1 Roadmap
By Catherine Putz
All three countries have suffered from energy shortages this winter, underscoring the need for new sources across the region.

Kazakhstan’s Bloody January: Day 6, Almaty
By Cheryl L. Reed
Almaty’s journalists witnessed Kazakhstan’s largest city roil with protests, peaceful at first, then become engulfed in deepening anger and shocking violence.

Kazakhstan: Impunity Persists After Torture During Bloody January
By Alva Omarova
The legal battle for justice for those arbitrarily detained and those who were brutally tortured during Kazakhstan’s Bloody January imploded before it started.

Kazakhstan’s Bloody January: Day 5, Taraz to Shymkent
By Cheryl L. Reed
In two southern Kazakhstan cities, the January protests devolved into shocking violence, from the use of live ammunition against protesters to police beatings of those detained.

Kazakhstan’s Bloody January: Day 4, Ust-Kamenogorsk to Kokshetau
By Cheryl L. Reed
Journalists and others faced questions, fines, and jail cells after covering protests in Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan’s Bloody January: Day 3, Uralsk to Kyzylorda
By Cheryl L. Reed
What began as peaceful protests in both Uralsk and Kyzylorda diverged sharply.

Kazakhstan’s Bloody January: Day 2, Aktobe to Atyrau
By Cheryl L. Reed
As protests persisted in early January 2022, police began to crack down on protesters and summon journalists for questioning.

Kazakhstan’s Bloody January: Day 1, Zhanaozen to Aktau
By Cheryl L. Reed
As 2022 began, unrest sparked in a familiar cauldron in western Kazakhstan’s discontented oil towns.

Kazakhstan’s Parliament Aims to Take Away Nazarbayev’s Privileges
By Paolo Sorbello
De-Nazarbayevification moves further onward with plans to scrap the law “On the First President”

Infrastructure Failure Tests Kazakhstan’s Government
By Paolo Sorbello
Tokayev threatens to fire the ministers that fail to reach substantial progress in remedying the heating crisis.

Why So Much Attention on Russia’s Vague Proposal for a ‘Gas Union’ With Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan?
By Catherine Putz
Central Asia might actually be interested in Russian gas, but please don’t call it a “union.”

Kazakhstan Walks Diplomatic Tightrope Between Russia and Europe
By Catherine Putz
Back-to-back visits by Kazakh President Tokayev this week to Moscow and Paris underscore Astana’s unique position.

Kazakhstan’s President Tokayev Calls for the Return of Assets
By Paolo Sorbello
Will the government target all assets spirited abroad or only those owned by specific individuals?