Kazakhstan is sure to bag two international headlines this fall: For one, it’s President Nazarbayev’s second visit to Washington. It is likely that a different event will create more media frenzy than this state visit, though.

Borat’s movie: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan is due for release in November. After heaps of controversy over Sasha Cohen’s satirical figure (mostly during the MTV European Music Awards last year), the Kazakhstani elite seems split as to whether it should make bold statements against the man again. Because Borat might actually be useful in raising Kazakhstan’s image abroad. Sean Roberts reported:

“Having just moved back to the U.S., I have found that more Americans are aware of Kazakhstan than four years ago when I last lived in the United States. The increased knowledge of Kazakhstan, however, is not due to the country’s economic successes or its role as a U.S. ally in the war on terror.’ Instead, most Americans who have heard of Kazakhstan have heard of it through a satire of a Kazakh journalist named Borat. …

Is all publicity is good publicity? The Kazakh government thinks that it will have to promote a more balanced view of Kazakhstan and will launch an ad-campaign during the next weeks. The New York Magazine:

The real test of the tenuous relationship between Borat and the Kazakhstan government will emerge in the upcoming weeks as the public relations blitz being planned by the Kazakhstan government to publicize the country in the U.S. in the run-up to President Nazarbayev’s long-awaited trip to Washington clashes with the advertising blitz ongoing to promote Borat’s new film. …”