Registan’s Kazakhstan News & Analysis Archive

Kazakhstan is the most vibrant economy of Central Asia and increasingly important in international politics. It is perhaps because of Kazakhstan’s success in transitioning toward becoming a country with a vibrant economy and generally responsive — though not democratic — government that it has received comparatively less attention at Registan. However, as public expectations begin to outpace the capability of the government to keep society satisfied and violent extremist groups being to operate in the country, Kazakhstan demands attention to determine whether or not its path continues to diverge from the rest of Central Asia or begins finally to converge.

Several of our authors have experience living, researching, and working in Kazakhstan and others have worked on a variety of research and analysis projects on Kazakhstan. Our most current coverage of Central Asia news can be found on our front page. Inquiries about our Kazakhstan news and analysis, hiring Registan authors to consult on Kazakhstan, or any other topic, can be submitted via the contact form on our about page.

Kazakhstan In English News

by Michael Hancock-Parmer
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Dear England, How are you these days? How’s the old fighting spirit? Don’t lose sight of your superiority over the rest of the messy world! You know you’re the beacon to which the rest of us so-called English Speakers look. I understand that such responsibility leaves little room for mirth, but perhaps you could try [...]

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Some Quick Observations on Islam and Opposition in Kazakhstan

by Wendell Schwab

Some opponents of the current Kazakhstani government held a demonstration over the weekend, after which some of their leaders were imprisoned. I will leave it to others to discuss the implications of this particular protest. However, because the “Arab Spring frame” for protests in Kazakhstan endures, and because Muslim reformists have been particularly successful in [...]

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Desert Floods

by Michael Hancock-Parmer

The Syr Darya is a mighty river. It may seem small in comparison to the larger regional river, the Amu Darya, and naturally also to those familiar with larger rivers in areas with more rainfall – like here in the US with the Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, etc. Let all of that be as it may [...]

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Cossacks and Kazakhs

by Michael Hancock-Parmer

In many respects the history of Soviet and Russian Central Asia is a military history and, as such, a history of the Cossacks. The Cossacks by the time of the conquest of Central Asia were already an indispensable part of the Russian military force. Only the Cossacks, it seems, were able to push into and [...]

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Striking Balance

by Joshua Foust
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The New York Times reports on Germany’s attempt to balance its business interests with a concern for human rights in Central Asia: Mrs. Merkel has no illusions about how [Kazakhstan] is governed. But German industry fears its near total dependence on China for the rare earth metals needed in high-tech manufacturing for products like solar [...]

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Will Astana Become the New Tripoli? No.

by Joshua Foust
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Earlier today, I wondered why Central Asia isn’t revolting against its leadership. It makes for some contextual thinking for Viktoria Panfilova’s December 19 article in Nezavisimaya gazeta (English translation here). She quotes a Russian analyst who has a startling thesis: [Th]is view is shared by Yury Solozobov, director of international projects at Russia’s National Strategy [...]

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Why Central Asia Isn’t Revolting

by Joshua Foust
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Scott Radnitz has a provocative take in Foreign Policy: On the surface, Central Asia would appear to be ripe for a popular uprising modeled on the Arab Spring. The “stans” are home to repressive governments, high unemployment, inequality, and widespread corruption. Over a year has passed since the wave of protests began to spread across [...]

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Kazakhstan needs religious patriots! (And already has them.)

by Wendell Schwab

Last week, Kazakhstan’s Vice Prime Minister Erbol Orynbaev told the board of the Ministry of Education and Science that the country’s schools have a vital assignment: to prevent “ideological extremism” – presumably the type of extremism that led to the criminal acts done in the name of Islam in western Kazakhstan and Taraz last year – by [...]

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Turkestan Album

by Nathan Hamm
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For at least the last seven or eight years, the Prokudin-Gorskii collection of color photos of the Russian empire taken in the early 20th century, gets noticed and reported by journalists, history buffs, and photography enthusiasts. Less well known is that the Turkestan Album, a series of volumes on the people, architecture, history, and economy [...]

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Kazakhstan’s Stability, Central Asia’s Stability

by Nathan Hamm
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Last week, the US Helsinki Commission held a hearing on Kazakhstan’s stability, looking at the violence in Zhanaozen and the recent parliamentary elections and questioning whether or not Kazakhstan is as stable as its government claims. The testimony, which can be found here is interesting and worth taking a look at. Included with the expert [...]

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