China will be keeping a close eye on its energy interests in Central Asia as Russia reinforces the borders of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) against external threats.
Kazakhstan has used a variety of means to promote itself as a model of economic development and social progress, such as chairing the OSCE in 2010, hosting Expo 2017 and bidding for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Another, less high-profile but important means of image crafting is connected with religion.
A significant devaluation of Kazakhstan's the national currency tenge over the last months resulted from the country's high dependence on oil revenues, according to European experts.
It’s unclear that Astana can match big ambitions with the reality of an underdeveloped bureaucracy.
Another day and another few Nordic executives are stepping back from their roles because of a corruption scandal in a former Soviet economy.
In the face of his country’s ongoing economic turmoil, Kazakh President Nazarbayev is engaging in fast-paced diplomacy to boost his country’s growth prospects. Hot on the heels of high-level bilateral meetings with the US, Japan and Qatar, he has attempted to position Kazakhstan as a land of opportunity for British business during his official visit to the UK this week.
Norway's Telenor ASA sought to control damage from bribery allegations engulfing its 33%-owned affiliate VimpelCom on Thursday, as Norwegian prosecutors detained a former VimpelCom chief executive and launched their own corruption probe into that company.
