Kazakhstan is boosting its Caspian security through the successful implementation of foreign military and security-assistance programs. These have helped Kazakhstan to develop its maritime border capabilities by providing military hardware, technical advice, and spare parts. Astana has included naval and border security packages into most... MORE

Following U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney's visit to Kazakhstan May 5-6, Russian officials and executives moved to intensify Moscow's energy maneuverings in Central Eurasia. While Cheney was in Astana, Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev traveled to Uzbekistan for talks with President Islam Karimov.... MORE

Following the example set by officials in Astana, leaders of the two main religions in Kazakhstan, Islam and the Russian Orthodox Church, sporadically sound alarm bells to alert the population of the dangers posed by "non-traditional" Western spiritual movements. At the first sitting of the... MORE

U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney praised Kazakhstan as "a good friend and important strategic partner," particularly in fighting international terrorism, as he wrapped up his two-day visit to Kazakhstan on May 6. The trip culminated with the signing of documents to amend the agreement to... MORE

An April 19 incident involving Uzbek border guards and a Kazakh national revealed the ongoing cross-border tensions and geopolitical rivalry between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Reports in the media of both countries tended to overemphasize the significance of the incident, which has been taken up at... MORE

Unlike Kazakhstan's Russian-language papers, the Kazakh-language media are full of frightening stories of frequent attacks by Russian extremists in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other locales. The complacent attitude of the Russian authorities toward the surging attacks on foreigners leads observers to believe that official Moscow... MORE

Kazakh Foreign Minister Kasymzhomart Tokayev traveled to Beijing April 11-13 for a wide range of talks with top Chinese officials on energy, transportation, communications, trade, and trans-border rivers issues, a long-running sticking point in bilateral relations. Considering the complexity of problems in relations with Beijing,... MORE

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev received a warm welcome during his April 3 visit to Moscow. Friendly relations were emphasized when Nazarbayev dedicated a new monument to the 19th-century Kazakh poet Abai Kunanbayev, a devoted Russophile. Speaking at the ceremony, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that... MORE

Kazakhstan has taken additional steps to improve its ability to supply its armed forces with armaments and to foster greater security independence as a consequence. Specific proposals include the creation of a helicopter factory as well as stepping up the manufacture of ammunition for the... MORE