While there seems to be no connection between Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev's unusually extensive tours to southern and western Kazakhstan in recent days and the riots in Andijan of Uzbekistan, the Kazakh strongman is obviously more concerned with his uncertain prospects for retaining power in... MORE

A recent session of Kazakhstan's cabinet of ministers commissioned plans for creating a trans-Caspian westbound export route for Kazakhstani oil, bypassing Russia on the shortest route to consumer countries. Prime Minister Daniyal Akhmetov and KazMunaiGaz (Kazakh oil and gas) state company chairman Uzakbay Karabalin endorsed... MORE

In the early 1990s, many policymakers in Kazakhstan and in Turkey were euphoric about the prospects of intense cooperation between ethnically related nations that had for decades been divided by an ideological iron curtain. Turkey, hoping to expand its influence in Russia-dominated but Turkic-speaking Central... MORE

Kazakhstan has moved significantly nearer its ambition to gain closer and more effective relations with the NATO Alliance. Astana has decided to abandon its long-term reliance upon dated Soviet munitions and Russian replacements. Instead, it will now prioritize the manufacture of NATO-standard ammunition for its... MORE

Around 500 policymakers and journalists from across the globe gathered in Almaty on April 21 for the Eurasian Media Forum. Kazakhstan's state officials tout the annual event as a unique opportunity to promote cross-cultural dialogue among civilizations. State-controlled media predictably offered exceptionally positive assessments of... MORE

On April 14 Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed a new presidential decree on stepping up the fight against corruption and strengthening discipline in state bodies. However, even the president's own entourage gave lukewarm support to the new campaign. Understandably, corrupt government officials could hardly be... MORE

Kazakhstan has opened a new anti-terrorist training center in Almaty designed to enhance the sophistication and professionalism of some of its most elite anti-terrorist personnel. Located within the existing Police Training Academy, the center will eventually provide courses in anti-terrorist techniques for police officers and... MORE

With its already enormous resources in the Caspian region, Kazakhstan's oil and gas sector has begun to turns its attention toward China's rapidly developing Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. On April 4, the Committee for Sino-Kazakh Energy Cooperation held its inaugural meeting in Astana. The deputy... MORE

In the last days of March, members of the banned Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DCK) opposition party announced that they intended to establish a new party, "Alga, Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan!" ("Forward, Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan!") The founders signed a statement declaring that the new... MORE

In the wake of last week's democratic revolution in Kyrgyzstan, top officials in Kazakhstan have launched what appears to be a wave of spectacular political reforms, at least on the surface. On March 29 the National Commission on Democratization and Civil Society convened in Astana.... MORE