Central Asia: An Exception to the “Cute Cats” Theory of Internet Revolution

by Sarah Kendzior

Last month Ethan Zuckerman, a senior researcher at the Berkman Center of Internet and Society, gave a lecture on how his “cute cats” theory of the internet applies to the Arab Spring. For those of you unfamiliar with the theory, Cory Doctorow sums it up in an rapturous review of the talk in the Guardian: [...]

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Turkmenistan’s Surreal Election

by Joshua Foust

The OSCE election monitors (and, umm, others) are heading out to Kazakhstan over the next few days and weeks — but not to Zhanaozen! — to keep track of precisely how Uncle Nazzy is going to maintain his one-party monopoly on the Kazakh parliament. It should be interesting, as the closure of elections in the [...]

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Critical Journalism and Janaozen

by Michael Hancock-Parmer

Prologue   Criticism and Critique are often confused. This might be partly because their adjectival forms are usually written the same way. Is a critical report critical in the sense of important? I think that definition is the least confusing from context. But what about other meanings? Is the report critical because it judges the [...]

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Book Review: A Small Key Opens Big Doors

by Michael Hancock-Parmer
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Chen, Jay, ed. A Small Key Opens Big Doors. 50 Years of Amazing Peace Corps Stories, Volume Three: The Heart of Eurasia. Travelers Tales: Palo Alto, 2011.336 pages, includes Foreword, Preface, Introduction, Acknowledgments. Disclosure: Jay Chen is a friend and fellow Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV). We served in the same group in Kazakhstan starting in [...]

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Oil is the Wealth of the Nation

by Michael Hancock-Parmer
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The events in Kazakhstan on its Day of Independence have made headlines around the world, but the motivations and consequences of the events continue to evade observers inside and outside the country. Several videos capturing both the violence and the shocked onlookers’ comments have surfaced on Radio Free Europe /Radio Liberty and their affiliate Radio Azattyq. [...]

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Nazarbayev Saving It, Continued

by Joshua Foust

RFERL’s Kazakh service notes an important development in the Zhanaozen massacre: Kazakhstan’s Prosecutor-General’s Office has launched a criminal investigation into actions taken by police during riots earlier this month in the western city of Zhanaozen that left more than a dozen protesters dead. Nurdaulet Suindikov, a spokesman for the office, told reporters in Astana that [...]

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Post in the works

by Michael Hancock-Parmer

Now that we have a little bit of time between us and the Janaozen events, I’m hoping to prepare a little more in depth post. This is hopefully going to also be the start to a more regular course of writing from myself. Writing is work and deserving of criticism, so I accept and hope [...]

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Image Issues

by Casey_Michel

One of the most unexpected aspects of living among the Kazakhstanis was the nationals’ focus on physical appearance. Indeed, Kazakhstanis are as preoccupied with a manicured appearance as any group I’ve ever known. That’s not to say that they sought only Tom Ford and Louis Vuitton – though their knockoffs were certainly popular – but, [...]

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How Nazarbayev Might Save It

by Joshua Foust

Over the last few days there has been an interesting shake up in elite circles in Kazakhstan. President Nazarbayev flew out to Aktau and fired his son-in-law, Timur Kulibayev, among others, over the riots. Kulibayev is widely believed to be Nazarbayev’s successor, the man slated to become the next King when the septuagenarian Nazzy kicks [...]

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Foot In Mouth

by Joshua Foust

I appreciate how much lead time you need for a published piece. Sometimes the timing is the worst it could possibly be, however. Poor, poor Martha Brill Olcott: On December 16, Kazakhstan celebrated the anniversary of its independence from the Soviet Union. In just 20 years, the Central Asian giant has made a smooth transition [...]

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