No, according to the Economist, which just published an article arguing that the costs of relaxing the organization’s democracy standards outweigh the benefits of drawing Kazakhstan further into the Western fold.
The sad truth is that an organisation like the OSCE can function only if its members mostly agree on most principles. That was the […]
Here is a figure from a recent article by Kevin Hassett of the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative DC think tank, that has been circulating through econoblogs:
Hassett argues that democratic countries in the 20th century had the advantage because the Soviet alternative greatly restricted the open market and thus hindered growth. This is […]
In the coming years, perhaps decades, Turkmenbashi will undoubtedly live on in the form a suffix tacked on to any Central Asian ruler who does something vaguely authoritarian and eccentric. A while back, Ian from Beyond the River rightly criticized me for falling into that trap when Tajikistan President Rakhmon enacted several weird […]
Editor’s Note: This guest post is cross-posted at KZ Blog. What follows is part of a cross-blog survey that explores what Central Eurasia might look like fifteen years from now.
The akim of Semey woke up on Independence Day in 2021 in his newly finished residence. The bedroom was gilt in gold, with rich wallpaper […]
I saw “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” this weekend. My review is simple: Borat delivers. There isn’t really much more to say. If you have seen any of the shows, you know what to expect; the movie is an hour and a half of […]
The term “Great Game” conjures up characters from Rudyard Kipling’s Kim, along with larger-than-life historical figures, predominantly from Britain, such as Charles Stoddart (of the ill-fated mission to Bukhara), Sir Arthur Conolly, among others. They were gentlemen, adventurers, historians, spies, geographers, and academics all at once; most of the alter-egos over at […]
On Thursday, July 6th, H.E. Kassymzhomart Tokaev, Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan, spoke in a W.P. Carey Forum for the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute of Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Tokaev was also Prime Minister of Kazakhstan for four years, and has served the government since 1975.
The event was well attended and surprisingly […]
A terrorist plot to attack Kazakh targets has allegedly been broken up. According to RFE/RL, a National Security Committee member said that “authorities found weapons along with books and tapes promoting radical religious views. Group members were also tasked with recruiting Kazakh citizens and setting up bases for training militants.” Furthermore, “foreigners” […]
Rakhat Aliev, son-in-law to President Nazarbayev, has taken an opponent that has accused him of being involved with the slaying of opposition leader Sarsenbaev to court for slander. On April 24, Nartay Dutbaev will be called to testify.
Who are these people, and how does this all fit into the tangled web of Kazakh […]
The EU and Kazakhstan are seeking to enhance relations in all spheres. The EU has committed itself to backing Kazakhstan in its bid to join the WTO, and may increase joint efforts to combat the drug trade and terrorism.
The EU is taking a very optimistic outlook on the state of affairs in the […]
