Monthly Archive

2016

Welcome to our Archives page. On this page you will find a total of 209 of our articles broken down into Months and Years.
London Rolls Out the Blood-Red Carpet for Kleptocrats
Events and opinions
1285

London Rolls Out the Blood-Red Carpet for Kleptocrats

Six years ago, the government of Kurmanbek Bakiyev nearly killed me. I remember it well, because it killed a man standing near me. It wasn’t specifically me, or him, they were trying to kill. They wer... read more..
How a Trump Economic Miscalculation Could Hammer His Pal Putin’s Economy
Economy
1910

How a Trump Economic Miscalculation Could Hammer His Pal Putin’s Economy

Donald Trump’s munchkins would have us believe that the new American president is going to usher in a period of prosperity for the United States and the world. But Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman and... read more..
Kazakhstan: Self-Immolation Death Renews Debate on Justice System
Events and opinions
1365

Kazakhstan: Self-Immolation Death Renews Debate on Justice System

On the morning of December 14, a 48-year old woman in Astana, Maira Rysmanova, succumbed to injuries sustained after she set herself alight in a desperate protest in front of the General Prosecutor’s ... read more..
Kazakhstan: Zhanaozen Wounds Heal, but Sense of Injustice Remains
Events and opinions
1399

Kazakhstan: Zhanaozen Wounds Heal, but Sense of Injustice Remains

The oil workers were shocked to see that the city would try to hold a party just yards from the spot they had occupied for months in the hope of negotiating higher salaries. The day was December 16, 2... read more..
White collar crime in Central Asia: the case of Kazakhstan (part 4)
Events and opinions
1781

White collar crime in Central Asia: the case of Kazakhstan (part 4)

“Classical” cases such as the massive amounts of money embezzled by former BTA bank chief Mukhtar Ablyazov and ex-mayor of Almaty Viktor Khrapunov have been haunting Kazakh law enforcers for well over... read more..
Congress Just Passed a Watershed Human Rights Provision — Tucked Inside Its Defense Spending Bill
Events and opinions
1294

Congress Just Passed a Watershed Human Rights Provision — Tucked Inside Its Defense Spending Bill

Congress passed its annual defense spending bill on Thursday, which in any other instance would be news itself. But tucked into the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act was a watershed provision on... read more..
New Report on Unrecorded Capital Flight Finds Developing Countries are Net-Creditors to the Rest of the World
Events and opinions
1506

New Report on Unrecorded Capital Flight Finds Developing Countries are Net-Creditors to the Rest of the World

Tax Havens have been Key Facilitators of Movements of Licit and Illicit Capital out of and into Developing Countries. Report is the Work of Consortia of Experts in Norway, United States, Brazil, ... read more..
The Kleptocracy Curse: Rethinking Containment
Corruption!
1817

The Kleptocracy Curse: Rethinking Containment

The United States needs to start paying attention to what has happened to the world economy. Gigantic sums of money are now traveling the world incognito. This has turned globalization into the gol... read more..
A Kazakh dual for dubious millions
Corruption!
4840

A Kazakh dual for dubious millions

Elnara Shorazova has a weakness for health spas, expensive treatments and luxurious restaurants. She sometimes manages to spend in a couple of days, between Vienna and Krumpendorf am Wörthersee, an am... read more..
French court cancels Kazakh tycoon Ablyazov's extradition to Russia
Events and opinions
1246

French court cancels Kazakh tycoon Ablyazov's extradition to Russia

France's highest administrative court on Friday cancelled an extradition order to send jailed Kazakh tycoon Mukhtar Ablyazov to Russia on the grounds that the request was made for political reasons. ... read more..
'Democracy was hijacked. It got a bad name': the death of the post-Soviet dream
Events and opinions
1287

'Democracy was hijacked. It got a bad name': the death of the post-Soviet dream

Independence 25 years ago promised to bring freedom and prosperity to central Asia, but kleptocratic regimes have left many yearning for the past he road out of Kommunizm, a small town in southern Ta... read more..
With Kleptocrats Untouchable, America Goes Big on Another Strategy: Taking Their Stuff Instead
Corruption!
1641

With Kleptocrats Untouchable, America Goes Big on Another Strategy: Taking Their Stuff Instead

Accused of involvement in stealing billions from Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund, Prime Minister Najib Razak did what autocratic leaders around the world do when scandal is in the air. He cleared hou... read more..
Kremlin Gold Paves Way to Billionaire Fortune for Tito Valet
Economy
2126

Kremlin Gold Paves Way to Billionaire Fortune for Tito Valet

On a cool evening in early September, Kosovo construction tycoon Behgjet Pacolli threw open the doors of his walled compound to celebrate his birthday with 20,000 “Facebook friends.” The guests, many... read more..
As the World Frets over the Taiwan Call, Trump's Talk with Kazakhstan Might Be the Real Shocker President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev.
Events and opinions
1207

As the World Frets over the Taiwan Call, Trump's Talk with Kazakhstan Might Be the Real Shocker President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev.

A U.S. partnership with Kazakhstan can keep Chinese and Russian ambitions in check. The November 30 telephone call between President-elect Donald J. Trump and President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kaza... read more..
Nazarbayev stated that tsarist Russia had brought from Kazakhstan all the wealth
Events and opinions
1287

Nazarbayev stated that tsarist Russia had brought from Kazakhstan all the wealth

The President of Kazakhstan , Nursultan Nazarbayev, stated that tsarist Russia was out of the country all the wealth. It is reported by the Kazakh news. «During tsarist Russia all the wealth of ea... read more..
After Castro—5 Nations Where Dictators Still Rule
Events and opinions
1394

After Castro—5 Nations Where Dictators Still Rule

Fidel is dead, and now, buried. Some will call him the last of the Cold Warriors. But there are still plenty of regimes that have been in power for decades. Are they frozen in time, or is change bubbl... read more..
A new president for Uzbekistan
Events and opinions
1381

A new president for Uzbekistan

Shavkat Mirziyoyev has won a tightly controlled presidential election in Uzbekistan, raising questions about whether he will rule in the steps of former strongman Islam Karimov. Who is he and what can... read more..
Uzbekistan’s last hope: The Trump administration
Events and opinions
1273

Uzbekistan’s last hope: The Trump administration

Sanjar Umarov is a former political prisoner and founder of Sunshine Uzbekistan, an international political coalition aimed at improving the economic and political situation in Uzbekistan. This year,... read more..
Kazakhstan jails activists, plans a Great Firewall to stifle online dissent
Political process
1644

Kazakhstan jails activists, plans a Great Firewall to stifle online dissent

In Kazakhstan, the power of citizens to resist authoritarianism has been dealt a significant blow. On November 28, two major Kazakh land activists, Max Bokayev and Talgat Ayanboth, were sentenced to f... read more..
Court freezes assets in possession of Aliyev’s widow
Corruption!
1990

Court freezes assets in possession of Aliyev’s widow

A Cypriot court ordered the freeze of assets located in Cyprus in possession of Elnara Shorazova, the widow of former Kazakh diplomat Rakhat Aliyev, a source familiar with the matter said. Costas Cle... read more..
Parliament watchdog postpones debate on Aliyev deposits
Events and opinions
1302

Parliament watchdog postpones debate on Aliyev deposits

Following an intervention of attorney General Costas Clerides and Central Bank of Cyprus governor Chrystalla Georghadji, the parliament’s watchdog committee postponed a debate scheduled for today on h... read more..
Kazakhstan: President’s Grandson Sprays Elite After Football Federation Loss
Events and opinions
1922

Kazakhstan: President’s Grandson Sprays Elite After Football Federation Loss

The grandson of Kazakhstan’s authoritarian President Nursultan Nazarbayev took to social media on Wednesday to blast members of his grandfather’s inner circle after he lost a vote to head the country’... read more..
AG blocks House motion to scrutinise Aliyev’s millions
Corruption!
1596

AG blocks House motion to scrutinise Aliyev’s millions

Attorney General Costas Clerides has blocked a motion in the House looking to scrutinise how the Famagusta Cooperative (Co-op) Bank handled accounts linked to the late ex-Kazakhstan official Rakhat Al... read more..
Authoritarian regimes use rhetoric to legitimize their power
Economy
1651

Authoritarian regimes use rhetoric to legitimize their power

Leaders of authoritarian regimes in Central Asia have been able to use rhetoric to define their power as legitimate to the public despite practices of human rights violations and clamping down on diss... read more..
Will Turkey Join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Instead of the EU?
Events and opinions
1357

Will Turkey Join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Instead of the EU?

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was quoted by Hurriyet on Sunday as saying that “Turkey should first of all feel relaxed about the EU and not be fixated” about joining it. He added, “Some may c... read more..
Kazakh President Says Partners in Shell Oil Field Face Tax Claim
Economy
1690

Kazakh President Says Partners in Shell Oil Field Face Tax Claim

Kazakhstan’s authorities are looking at whether the Karachaganak oil and gas venture, which includes Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Eni SpA, has unpaid taxes. “The tax authorities have tax issues -- they ... read more..
Eurasian Economic Union - reality or fiction?
Events and opinions
1435

Eurasian Economic Union - reality or fiction?

Operating since 2015, the Eurasian Economic Union formed (EEU) over a relatively short period of time, and passed through all three stages of integration - from the customs union established in 2010 t... read more..
Is Nazarbayev’s New Personality Cult a Prelude to an Exit?
Events and opinions
1304

Is Nazarbayev’s New Personality Cult a Prelude to an Exit?

A new banknote with Nazarbayev’s image and a possible eponymous renaming of Astana may signal a potential departure. Issued to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s independence from the Sov... read more..
Kazakh President Nazarbayev Says Power Won’t Be Family Business
Events and opinions
1276

Kazakh President Nazarbayev Says Power Won’t Be Family Business

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said he won’t hand power to his children to succeed him, as the former Soviet Union’s longest-serving ruler delays democratic reforms amid the country’s worst eco... read more..
Note to self: President Nazarbayev to appear on Kazakhstan banknote
Events and opinions
1221

Note to self: President Nazarbayev to appear on Kazakhstan banknote

Image of autocrat to feature on 10,000-tenge note that goes into circulation in time for holiday celebrating his leadership The veteran president of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, is to feature on... read more..
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