2015

Visionary-Style Economics Meet Reality in Kazakhstan

16 Nov

Economy

1812

Visionary-Style Economics Meet Reality in Kazakhstan

It’s unclear that Astana can match big ambitions with the reality of an underdeveloped bureaucracy. Kazakhstan, without a doubt, has capitalized on its natural resource wealth, using massive oil and ... read more..

Bribery Investigation Traps Nordic Executives in Ex-Soviet Mess

16 Nov

Events and opinions

1502

Bribery Investigation Traps Nordic Executives in Ex-Soviet Mess

Another day and another few Nordic executives are stepping back from their roles because of a corruption scandal in a former Soviet economy. Telenor ASA, a phone company owned by the Norwegian govern... read more..

Rule of law risks weigh on Kazakhstan’s privatisation

08 Nov

Events and opinions

1586

Rule of law risks weigh on Kazakhstan’s privatisation

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... read more..

08 Nov

Events and opinions

1571

Telenor Begins Its Review Of VimpelCom

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... read more..

Queen lunches with Kazakh dictator who's relative paid Andrew £3m extra for his house

06 Nov

Events and opinions

1884

Queen lunches with Kazakh dictator who's relative paid Andrew £3m extra for his house

THE Queen rolled the red carpet out today for the Kazakh dictator whose son-in-law bought Prince Andrew's house for £3 million more than the asking price. Nursultan Nazarbayev, the president of Kaz... read more..

Security officials of China, Kazakhstan meet for further cooperation

06 Nov

Events and opinions

1651

Security officials of China, Kazakhstan meet for further cooperation

Senior security official Meng Jianzhu met Chair of the National Security Committee of Kazakhstan Nurtai Abykayev here on Wednesday, urging the two sides to enhance cooperation in fighting crime. Meng... read more..

Kazakh president arrives in UK for two-day visit

04 Nov

Events and opinions

1711

Kazakh president arrives in UK for two-day visit

Nursultan Nazarbayev, whose regime has been criticised by rights groups, will meet David Cameron, the Queen and UK business leadersThe man who has ruled Kazakhstan for two and a half decades, Presiden... read more..

Kazakhstan faces oil dilemma as prices plunge

02 Nov

Economy

2264

Kazakhstan faces oil dilemma as prices plunge

In Texas or the North Sea, oil companies struggling with falling prices are firing thousands of employees. In Kazakhstan, it is not so simple. The central Asian nation was a poster child of the ... read more..

Kazakhstan’s Love Affair with China Reaches New Heights

25 Oct

Events and opinions

2020

Kazakhstan’s Love Affair with China Reaches New Heights

On August 31 Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev in Beijing, with the pair agreeing to build stronger ties. Xi welcomed Nazarbayev to China for his state... read more..

Mugabe controversially wins Chinese peace prize

25 Oct

Events and opinions

1797

Mugabe controversially wins Chinese peace prize

The Chinese alternative to the Nobel Peace Prize has gone to “a war-monger ... and a sadist who delights in the misery of the people”, said one critic of the award. At an award ceremony held at a hot... read more..

Taliban Advances Raise Alarm in Turkmenistan

25 Oct

Events and opinions

1692

Taliban Advances Raise Alarm in Turkmenistan

Since September 28, Afghan security forces have struggled to wrest control of Kunduz, capital of Kunduz province, from its seizure by the Taliban. As Kunduz adjoins Afghanistan’s frontier with Tajikis... read more..

Why Is a Kazakh Bank Suing a New York Developer?

22 Oct

Events and opinions

1852

Why Is a Kazakh Bank Suing a New York Developer?

Kazakhstan’s BTA Bank and the city of Almaty are suing a New York real estate developer, claiming he helped launder money. Earlier this week, Kazakhstan’s BTA Bank joined the city of Almaty, Kazakhst... read more..

What Are Russia’s Grand Designs in Central Asia?

22 Oct

Events and opinions

1788

What Are Russia’s Grand Designs in Central Asia?

While international attention has focused on Russian military operations in Ukraine and Syria, Moscow has also been involved in a flurry of diplomatic and security initiatives to address the growing i... read more..

Losing control in the Caucasus. Russia’s involvement in a conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan is likely to do more harm than good.

15 Oct

Special projects

7454

Losing control in the Caucasus. Russia’s involvement in a conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan is likely to do more harm than good.

Nagorno-Karabakh, the former Soviet Union’s oldest and most dangerous conflict, is waking up again. The 1994 ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan is under severe strain. Where there was occasional... read more..

The glass pyramid that reveals Kazakhstan's ambitions

15 Oct

Events and opinions

1779

The glass pyramid that reveals Kazakhstan's ambitions

Oil money is rolling into Kazakhstan, and new architectural landmarks in the capital city, Astana, reveal the country's economic aspirations. Jonathan Fryer recently visited the central Asian country ... read more..

05 Oct

Economy

2386

Getting Their Money Out

Continuing a discussion on the role of money-laundering and the housing bubble. LA Biz Journal. “Economists at UCLA Anderson School of Management foresee healthy growth for the nation’s economy over t... read more..

AP Interview: Kazakhstan sees unity as key to battling IS

29 Sep

Terror in Kazakhstan!

7831

AP Interview: Kazakhstan sees unity as key to battling IS

Political divisions prevent the global community from reversing the rise of the Islamic State group, Kazakhstan's top diplomat said, urging world leaders to unite efforts to combat extremism. Foreign... read more..

29 Sep

Events and opinions

1705

Obama shifts focus to U.N. gathering

Fresh from successes on Iran and with the pope, President Barack Obama still carried heavy burdens into critical meetings this week at the U.N. General Assembly. They include the threat from Islamic ... read more..

Books Land Kazakhstan in Diplomatic Spat With Ukraine

27 Sep

Events and opinions

1637

Books Land Kazakhstan in Diplomatic Spat With Ukraine

Kazakhstan’s diplomatic balancing act over the conflict in Ukraine has been upset by a fresh row about the status of the Russia-annexed Crimean Peninsula. Ukraine’s embassy in Astana on September 25 ... read more..

Central Asia’s pipeline politics: a quest for energy independence

27 Sep

Political process

2478

Central Asia’s pipeline politics: a quest for energy independence

Caught between superpowers Russia and China, can Central Asia's "stans" exert their independence amid a changing energy landscape? Global energy is undergoing tectonic shifts. Strong US oil and gas ... read more..

17 Sep

Events and opinions

1871

Kazakhstan prepares for a birthday bash

Astana: Kazakhstan is rolling out colourful pageantry to celebrate 550 years of statehood, defying an economic downturn that has battered a country viewed as a post-Soviet success story. In scenes re... read more..

FC Astana’s group stage debut shows how far Kazakh football has come

17 Sep

Events and opinions

1633

FC Astana’s group stage debut shows how far Kazakh football has come

While the Kazakhstan national side languishes 145th in the world, the country’s leading club will become the first Kazakh side to play a Champions League group match, against Benfica on Tuesday On We... read more..

Daughter of Kazakhstan’s President Appointed Deputy Prime Minister

17 Sep

Political process

2103

Daughter of Kazakhstan’s President Appointed Deputy Prime Minister

In Kazakhstan, it seems, there are second chances for daughters tainted by political scandal. After a few years lying low, Dariga Nazarbayeva, the eldest daughter of Kazakhstan’s President Nursulta... read more..

Kazakh Leader Names Daughter to Cabinet With Succession in Focus

13 Sep

Corruption!

2166

Kazakh Leader Names Daughter to Cabinet With Succession in Focus

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev named his eldest daughter Dariga deputy prime minister as officials jostle to position themselves for a potential battle to succeed the longest serving ex-Soviet ... read more..

Should We Stop Calling Kazakhstan an Autocracy?

11 Sep

Events and opinions

1832

Should We Stop Calling Kazakhstan an Autocracy?

Nazarbayev says we should take Central Asia’s culture and history into account and quit calling him an autocrat. Kazakhstan celebrated Constitution Day on August 30, marking 20 years since th... read more..

11 Sep

Corruption!

2812

Massive Kazakh Corruption Case Targets 21 Former Officials.

Former Prime Minister Serik Akhmetov is at the center of Kazakhstan’s still-expanding Karaganda corruption scandal. A witness in former Kazakh Prime Minister Serik Akhmetov’s corruption case has re... read more..

Central Asia’s Growing Crackdown on Academia

07 Sep

Events and opinions

2068

Central Asia’s Growing Crackdown on Academia

It is no secret that Central Asia’s autocratic regimes have a disdain for independent thought and criticism. While journalists have regularly been threatened, a less visible trend is the crackdown on ... read more..

04 Sep

Events and opinions

2091

President Suggests New National Brand: ‘Land of the Great Steppe’

President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev reiterated his suggestion that Kazakhstan brand itself “Land of the Great Steppe” during the Aug. 28 conference “Constitution: unity, stability and prosper... read more..

02 Sep

Corruption!

2762

Can Kazakhstan Learn to Fight Corruption from China?

Astana has big economic dreams and hopes to follow China’s example in combating corruption. Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev is in China until September 3, meeting with Chinese leaders, sett... read more..

02 Sep

Events and opinions

2063

Why a nuclear fuel bank matters

The multinational agreement to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons is one of the most consequential non-proliferation moments in recent history. One byproduct of the current public debate on t... read more..

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