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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Patronage Networks and Reformist Islam in Kazakhstan

by Wendell Schwab

One of the more amusing news stories to come out of Kazakhstan last week detailed the insertion of a Kazakhstani senator’s visage into a painting of the apostles greeting Jesus in a Russian Orthodox church.  While this could be viewed as a human-interest story to be placed in the same section as a waterskiing squirrel, it [...]

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Kazakhstan’s Elections: Aspirations for Democracy amidst Expectations of Paternalism

by Alima Bissenova

The background to the January 15 Kazakhstan’s parliamentary elections has been most unfavorable. The image of stability that Kazakhstan’s government had carefully cultivated over the years has been tarnished with the outbreak of violence in an oil town of Zhanaozen. In neighboring Russia, on which Kazakhstan depends both culturally and politically, dozens of thousands of [...]

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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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Kazakhstan in Time

by Michael Hancock-Parmer
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[UPDATE: In response to some of the comments, I would reiterate that there is a place for everyone's opinions on Kazakhstan. Even this piece, and certainly other writings that I disagree with or that disagree with me. Each has the right to write whatever they want and publish it. It is my right to respond [...]

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New Elections in Kazakhstan, Readysetgo!

by Michael Hancock-Parmer

Not that long ago, it seemed possible (if not likely) that Nazarbaev would be President of Kazakhstan without election until 2020.  One group claimed they had collected over 4 million signatures, with the signers pleading that the President take the reigns through the next decade.  This group was part of a wave of popular support [...]

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Peace Corps Story

by Michael Hancock-Parmer

Hey all.  Peace Corps‘ 50th anniversary is coming up in 2011.  I wrote a little piece not too long ago that I thought I would share with you.  It’s not too specifically about Kazakhstan, or ever Central Asia, but you still might find it interesting.  Naturally, your feedback is welcome.  For the record, I served [...]

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If Mandela Could’ve Blogged…

by Alexander_Visotzky

Since Kazakhstan assumed chairmanship of the OSCE on January 1st, I haven’t heard much regarding Kazakhstan’s two high-profile political prisoners, Evgenii Zhovtis and Mukhtar Dzhakishev.  I was slightly and pleasantly shocked to learn this week, however, that Zhovtis is somehow blogging from prison. Presumably there isn’t much to do at prison colony 156/13 near Ust-Kammenogrsk [...]

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Kazakhstan, Beacon of Anticorruption Activity?

by Alexander_Visotzky

To preface this entry I should say that I’m not really in a position to be objective on this issue, but I’ll attack it nonetheless:  When your girlfriend or wife asks you if she looks fat or ugly, you tell her no, even if she does look fat or ugly. Sometimes a little lie doesn’t [...]

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