![](/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/region-central-asia.jpg)
Latest Articles about Kazakhstan
![](/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/thumbs_b_c_9ecf9169db4502ca6519c799ec463cfa-640x360.jpg)
Turkic Council, Non-Aligned Movement Summits Illuminate Azerbaijan’s Foreign Policy Strategy and Priorities
This past month, Azerbaijan hosted two large inter-governmental gatherings: the 7thSummit of the Cooperation Council of the Turkic-Speaking States (Turkic Council), on October 15, and the 18th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), on October 25 (Turkkon.org, October 15; Turksoy.org, October 16; Azernews.az, October 25).... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Tajikistani-armed-forces-in-Tsentr-2019-EDM-October-15-2019-640x411.jpg)
Central Asian Perspectives of the Tsentr 2019 Military Exercises
Tsentr 2019, this year’s largest Russian strategic-operational exercise, involving both Russian troops and seven regional allies and partners, was a highly promoted event by Russia’s state-owned news outlets. According to Sputnik News, the maneuvers (September 16–21) “demonstrated to the world the unprecedented defensive capabilities of... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/zqgki9wlgmo31-640x427.jpg)
Russia Tests Network-Centric Warfare in Tsentr 2019
The Russian Armed Forces staged their annual strategic-level military exercise this past week (September 16–21), alongside units from seven partner countries—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, China, India and Pakistan—all of them Moscow’s allies in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). This year’s strategic command-staff exercise (strategicheskiye komandno-shtabnyye ucheniya—SKShU), Tsentr... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/3224148.jpg)
Iran May Not Be the Entirely Reliable Ally in the Caspian Moscow Hopes For
Following last month’s (August 12) Caspian Economic Forum in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan (see EDM, September 4), a number of Russian commentators celebrated what they saw as a victory of the “Russian-Iranian approach,” which seeks to promote north-south trade over the east-west flows supported by the three... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/kazakhstanprotest-640x420.jpeg)
Anti-Chinese Protests Spread Across Kazakhstan
Residents of six major cities in Kazakhstan took to the streets last week (September 3) to protest their government’s decision allowing China to open 55 factories in their country, a move the protesters say will deepen Kazakhstan’s dependence on its large eastern neighbor and lead... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/EBxIDf_XsAAty4x-640x463.jpg)
Hopes Reemerge for Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline, but Critical Obstacles Persist
On August 12, delegations led by the prime ministers of the five Caspian littoral states—Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan—came together at Turkmenistan’s coastal resort of Awaza to hold the first annual Caspian Economic Forum. The heads of government from two other countries, Uzbekistan and... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/uzbekistan_images-640x426.jpg)
Uzbekistan Faces Mounting Economic Costs From Staying out of Russian-Led Eurasian Union
During his address to the 20th Plenary Session of Uzbekistan’s Senate, on June 21, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev expressed fears that the country’s manufacturers could face increasing difficulties accessing their traditional export markets. His suggested solution, to join the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU—the Russian-dominated regional trade... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Akishev_2B68B741-71F3-41BE-8901-0A30939BD42C_cx0_cy8_cw0_w1023_r1_s-640x360.jpg)
Rumors Targeting Kazakhstani Politicians Point to Overregulated Media Landscape
Kazakhstan’s political life has entered a somnolent mood after both chambers of parliament wrapped up their legislative work on July 5 until September and President Kassym-ZhomartTokayev subsequently took his first vacation—albeit only for four days (July 22–26) and without going any farther than the Caspian... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Kazakhstan-police-EDM-July-15-2019-640x360.jpg)
Mass Political Unrest in the Streets Underscores Need for Kazakhstan’s Long-Overdue Police Reforms
Kazakhstan celebrated Police Day, on June 23, 2019, marking the 27th anniversary of establishing the country’s own law enforcement structures (24.kz, June 23). First declared in 2007 by then-president Nursultan Nazarbayev, the holiday continues to resemble similar professional/vocational celebrations that were prevalent in the Soviet... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Vladimir-Putin-at-St-Petersburg-Forum-EDM-June-21-2019-640x360.jpg)
Integrating the Eurasian Union and China’s Belt and Road: A Bridge Too Far?
The 23rd St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, which convened on June 6–8, was, as every year, pronounced a huge success by the Russian authorities. Certainly, the 19,000 participants from 145 countries and the 3.1 trillion rubles’ ($49 billion) worth of contracts announced marked new records... MORE