Comments on: Kazakhstan Blows Its OSCE Leadership http://registan.net/index.php/2009/09/06/kazakhstan-blows-its-osce-leadership/ All Central Asia, All The Time Fri, 25 May 2012 20:24:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Dilshod http://registan.net/index.php/2009/09/06/kazakhstan-blows-its-osce-leadership/comment-page-1/#comment-382492 Dilshod Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:05:23 +0000 http://www.registan.net/?p=9435#comment-382492 I doubt that OSCE is at all viewed as a legitimizing authority. Mere fact of having all ex-USSR nations tells that it's more about promoting the standards set in the Final Act. I would see it rather as a mechanism, means and not the end. I still think it's a good idea to try to encourage ex-Commies to good behavior. I doubt that OSCE is at all viewed as a legitimizing authority. Mere fact of having all ex-USSR nations tells that it’s more about promoting the standards set in the Final Act. I would see it rather as a mechanism, means and not the end.
I still think it’s a good idea to try to encourage ex-Commies to good behavior.

]]> By: Alex Visotzky http://registan.net/index.php/2009/09/06/kazakhstan-blows-its-osce-leadership/comment-page-1/#comment-382439 Alex Visotzky Thu, 10 Sep 2009 07:36:47 +0000 http://www.registan.net/?p=9435#comment-382439 "No one has demanded from us: you will become chairman of the OSCE if there is a multi-party, ’multi-hued’ parliament. And we will not go for that now," senator Gani Kasymov said on the day parliament opened in remarks quoted by the Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency. --from eurasianet.org “No one has demanded from us: you will become chairman of the OSCE if there is a multi-party, ’multi-hued’ parliament. And we will not go for that now,” senator Gani Kasymov said on the day parliament opened in remarks quoted by the Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency.
–from eurasianet.org

]]> By: oldschool boy http://registan.net/index.php/2009/09/06/kazakhstan-blows-its-osce-leadership/comment-page-1/#comment-382437 oldschool boy Thu, 10 Sep 2009 04:15:29 +0000 http://www.registan.net/?p=9435#comment-382437 I don't see anybody getting screwed here except poor Zhovtis. OSCE will get over it. These hypocrites wouldn't care. After all, OSCE is about security and cooperation, but not about alienating the huge region east of the EU border. Time when western countries could look down at the CIS and dictate to them has passed with Russia crushing Georgia and then cutting gas supplies to Europe. Should have thought then. I don’t see anybody getting screwed here except poor Zhovtis. OSCE will get over it. These hypocrites wouldn’t care. After all, OSCE is about security and cooperation, but not about alienating the huge region east of the EU border. Time when western countries could look down at the CIS and dictate to them has passed with Russia crushing Georgia and then cutting gas supplies to Europe. Should have thought then.

]]> By: Alex Visotzky http://registan.net/index.php/2009/09/06/kazakhstan-blows-its-osce-leadership/comment-page-1/#comment-382421 Alex Visotzky Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:50:58 +0000 http://www.registan.net/?p=9435#comment-382421 As someone working in Kazakhstan, this episode is particularly concerning. Perhaps the most egregious part is that Kazakh authorities could have given Zhovtis a fair trial and still probably thrown him in jail, yet they decided to skip even that. As a friend pointed out, if you take the worst kid in an elementary school class and tell him that he can teach the class, he won't start assigning homework, but will let chaos reign. It shouldn't come as a surprise that the OSCE has failed to pressure Kazakhstan into becoming more transparent and less corrupt; after all, aren't Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan members? As someone working in Kazakhstan, this episode is particularly concerning. Perhaps the most egregious part is that Kazakh authorities could have given Zhovtis a fair trial and still probably thrown him in jail, yet they decided to skip even that. As a friend pointed out, if you take the worst kid in an elementary school class and tell him that he can teach the class, he won’t start assigning homework, but will let chaos reign. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the OSCE has failed to pressure Kazakhstan into becoming more transparent and less corrupt; after all, aren’t Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan members?

]]> By: Turgai Sangar http://registan.net/index.php/2009/09/06/kazakhstan-blows-its-osce-leadership/comment-page-1/#comment-382419 Turgai Sangar Wed, 09 Sep 2009 08:08:36 +0000 http://www.registan.net/?p=9435#comment-382419 BTW, Joshua, kudos for the grandeur for admitting assessment mistakes (which we all made at one on another time or one or another issue). BTW, Joshua, kudos for the grandeur for admitting assessment mistakes (which we all made at one on another time or one or another issue).

]]> By: Turgai Sangar http://registan.net/index.php/2009/09/06/kazakhstan-blows-its-osce-leadership/comment-page-1/#comment-382418 Turgai Sangar Wed, 09 Sep 2009 08:02:17 +0000 http://www.registan.net/?p=9435#comment-382418 "I was not only wrong, but horribly wrong in thinking the OSCE Chairmanship would be a boon to Kazakhstan." The OSCE has been screwed, that's most clear. Yet this is what one gets for being 'pragmatic'. So one should not blame uncle Nazarbayev's regime for being cunning but those who buy into it because of whatever wrongly assessed interest or sheer diplo other-worldlyness . What is more, a precendent has now been set for making the OSCE an instrument a forum to internationally legitimize certain regimes. If an autocracy and de facto one-party state like Kazakhstan (even if it is certainly not the worst of the region), can chair the OSCE, what is the problem later on for Uzbekistan given a few cosmetic reforms (its seems, by the way, that they're at it: cf. www.rferl.org/content/article/1818439.html ) or the recognition of Transnistria/Pridnyestrovoe for that matter? “I was not only wrong, but horribly wrong in thinking the OSCE Chairmanship would be a boon to Kazakhstan.”

The OSCE has been screwed, that’s most clear. Yet this is what one gets for being ‘pragmatic’. So one should not blame uncle Nazarbayev’s regime for being cunning but those who buy into it because of whatever wrongly assessed interest or sheer diplo other-worldlyness .

What is more, a precendent has now been set for making the OSCE an instrument a forum to internationally legitimize certain regimes. If an autocracy and de facto one-party state like Kazakhstan (even if it is certainly not the worst of the region), can chair the OSCE, what is the problem later on for Uzbekistan given a few cosmetic reforms (its seems, by the way, that they’re at it: cf. http://www.rferl.org/content/article/1818439.html ) or the recognition of Transnistria/Pridnyestrovoe for that matter?

]]> By: oldschool boy http://registan.net/index.php/2009/09/06/kazakhstan-blows-its-osce-leadership/comment-page-1/#comment-382362 oldschool boy Mon, 07 Sep 2009 10:17:52 +0000 http://www.registan.net/?p=9435#comment-382362 Too bad. I remember reading an interview with Zhovtis about this accident about a month or two ago. He said that he had killed the guy in the accident (he was not drunk) but was hoping that the charges against him would be dropped, because he had settled a deal with the victim's relatives (I guess he paid them money). I guess somebody in law enforcement decided to use the accident to revenge on Zhovtis for something. But nobody can seriously believe that the "mysterious" accident was staged. Too bad. I remember reading an interview with Zhovtis about this accident about a month or two ago. He said that he had killed the guy in the accident (he was not drunk) but was hoping that the charges against him would be dropped, because he had settled a deal with the victim’s relatives (I guess he paid them money). I guess somebody in law enforcement decided to use the accident to revenge on Zhovtis for something. But nobody can seriously believe that the “mysterious” accident was staged.

]]> By: Matt http://registan.net/index.php/2009/09/06/kazakhstan-blows-its-osce-leadership/comment-page-1/#comment-382359 Matt Mon, 07 Sep 2009 03:37:16 +0000 http://www.registan.net/?p=9435#comment-382359 You certainly weren't alone in your thought process - the IOC used similar logic when giving the Olympics to China and now to Russia. You certainly weren’t alone in your thought process – the IOC used similar logic when giving the Olympics to China and now to Russia.

]]> By: Ahad Abdurahmon http://registan.net/index.php/2009/09/06/kazakhstan-blows-its-osce-leadership/comment-page-1/#comment-382355 Ahad Abdurahmon Sun, 06 Sep 2009 22:54:52 +0000 http://www.registan.net/?p=9435#comment-382355 Nazarbayev can let the petro-dollars trickle down, but never share his power. I would never bet on individuals for transformation and change, even if Gandhi comes out of his grave. Institutionalization is the key. Japan, Germany, Taiwan, or Llatvia became liberal democracies not because of mister someone, but because of institutional transformation. The bad news is, it doesn't happen overnight. Nazarbayev can let the petro-dollars trickle down, but never share his power.
I would never bet on individuals for transformation and change, even if Gandhi comes out of his grave. Institutionalization is the key. Japan, Germany, Taiwan, or Llatvia became liberal democracies not because of mister someone, but because of institutional transformation. The bad news is, it doesn’t happen overnight.

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