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.
VimpelCom Pays $795 Million To Settle Uzbekistan Bribery Investigation
Corruption!
2345

VimpelCom Pays $795 Million To Settle Uzbekistan Bribery Investigation

Netherlands-based telecommunications giant VimpelCom announced today that it would pay U.S. and Dutch government authorities $795 million to end an investigation into bribery in Uzbekistan. While the ... read more..
U.S. Dismisses Defamation Lawsuit Linked To Kazakh Family Feud
Events and opinions
1636

U.S. Dismisses Defamation Lawsuit Linked To Kazakh Family Feud

 A U.S. federal judge has thrown out a defamation lawsuit brought by a close business associate of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev's former son-in-law, who was found dead in an Austrian jail read more..
Can Kazakhstan’s Privatization Plan Succeed?
Events and opinions
1729

Can Kazakhstan’s Privatization Plan Succeed?

Kazakhstan’s plan to privatize its state industries is ambitious, but it faces some major barriers. In October 2015, the government of Kazakhstan announced the largest privatization of state-owned ... read more..
Child’s Murder Sparks Ethnic Tensions in South Kazakhstan
Events and opinions
1569

Child’s Murder Sparks Ethnic Tensions in South Kazakhstan

Ethnic tensions are bubbling in southern Kazakhstan, where local authorities have stepped in to restore calm following the murder of a child by a member of an ethnic minority. Worryingly for Astana, ... read more..
Autocrats’ bag of tricks for staying in power
Corruption!
1936

Autocrats’ bag of tricks for staying in power

Excluding hereditary monarchies, there are close to 40 countries around the world in which the national leader has been in power for 10 or more years, writes Freedom House analyst Elen Aghekyan. A sma... read more..
Kazakhstan: Astana Opera Hits Cultural High Notes
Special projects
5637

Kazakhstan: Astana Opera Hits Cultural High Notes

On a recent snowy winter’s evening in Kazakhstan’s capital, arts buffs flocked to the state-of-the-art opera house. Kazakhstan may be in the grip of an economic crisis, but it was a full house at... read more..
Crackdown on dissent in Kazakhstan as economy slumps
Events and opinions
1594

Crackdown on dissent in Kazakhstan as economy slumps

Activist jailed for inciting social hatred on Facebook, then released after apology, as dropping oil prices hit hard. Something surprising just happened in Kazakhstan. Not the fact that an opposi... read more..
Kazakh pension fund to buy foreign assets, domestic bonds
Events and opinions
1438

Kazakh pension fund to buy foreign assets, domestic bonds

Feb 10 Kazakhstan's state pension fund will invest 500 billion tenge ($1.4 billion) abroad this year and buy bonds from local banks and state companies worth 600 billion tenge, the president's office ... read more..
Kazakh leader orders 689 million pounds for house building as snap poll looms
Events and opinions
1431

Kazakh leader orders 689 million pounds for house building as snap poll looms

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev ordered his government on Wednesday to allocate 360 billion tenge (689 million pounds) to build affordable housing to support the economy, which has been hit by t... read more..
Move over Royal Family. London’s oligarchs are the new tourist attraction
Events and opinions
1333

Move over Royal Family. London’s oligarchs are the new tourist attraction

‘And if you look to your left you will see a house once linked to Rakhat Aliyev, Kazakhstan’s former intelligence chief, who died in police custody in Austria while awaiting charges of corruption, tor... read more..
Central Asia’s Presidents-for-Life. Don’t hold your breath waiting for democratic transitions in Central Asia.
Political process
1813

Central Asia’s Presidents-for-Life. Don’t hold your breath waiting for democratic transitions in Central Asia.

The president of Tajikistan was granted the title “Leader of the Nation” in December 2015 by special law. However, he does not want to stop there. On January 22, Tajikistan’s parliament adopted new am... read more..
Kazakhstan at Twenty-Five: Stable but Tense
Economy
1973

Kazakhstan at Twenty-Five: Stable but Tense

Kazakhstan is at a political and economic crossroads. The country saw impressive growth from 2000 to 2015 due to high oil prices, but it failed to diversify the economy away from extracting and export... read more..
Kazakhstan’s Snap Elections: Watching the Watchers Not all election monitors were created equal.
Political process
1957

Kazakhstan’s Snap Elections: Watching the Watchers Not all election monitors were created equal.

Earlier this week, Kazakhstan’s foreign minister attempted to lay out why Kazakhstan would be hosting snap parliamentary elections next month. “Strong leadership and a clear strategy ... to overcome t... read more..
Oil Squeeze: Kazakhstan And Central Asian States Suffer Amid Slowdowns In Russia And China
Economy
1893

Oil Squeeze: Kazakhstan And Central Asian States Suffer Amid Slowdowns In Russia And China

Amid the modern and futuristic landscape of Astana, Kazakhstan’s capital, and in the large city of Almaty, something rarely seen has appeared in recent weeks and months: protesters. Kazakhstan’s tenge... read more..
Kazakhstan: Ruling Party Plumps for Populism
Political process
1825

Kazakhstan: Ruling Party Plumps for Populism

Kazakhstan’s president could hardly be expected to run for parliament, so the ruling Nur Otan party has gone for the next best thing: The actor who played him as a young man in the biopic. Nurlan Ali... read more..
Drift and dissent. So much for Nursultan Nazarbayev’s “Kazakh dream”
Economy
1841

Drift and dissent. So much for Nursultan Nazarbayev’s “Kazakh dream”

Not long ago it all looked so much better: oil prices were high, the middle classes were growing and the autocrat-father of the state, Nursultan Nazarbayev, presided over 17m grateful subjects. Yet to... read more..
Economy and Sanctions Derail Russia’s Central Asian Investments
Political process
2125

Economy and Sanctions Derail Russia’s Central Asian Investments

After years of embarking on promising forays into Central Asia’s economy, Russia is being forced to pare back its ambitions. The starkest retreat of Russian money is seen in Kyrgyzstan, whose parli... read more..
U.S. Policy Toward Central Asia 3.0
Economy
2328

U.S. Policy Toward Central Asia 3.0

Major geopolitical shifts and internal dynamics are setting the stage for possible increased great-power competition in Central Asia between Russia and China at a time when the region is becoming less... read more..
Kazakhstan’s Ever Shrinking Space for Dissent
Economy
2099

Kazakhstan’s Ever Shrinking Space for Dissent

Two activists were recently jailed for “inciting national discord.” With both oil prices and the Russian ruble continuing to search for their respective floors, Kazakhstan’s economic maelstrom shows ... read more..
Kazakhstan: TV Epic Promises Game of Thrones-Style Thrills
Events and opinions
1602

Kazakhstan: TV Epic Promises Game of Thrones-Style Thrills

Armor-clad warriors surge out from behind a rocky outcrop and gallop across the steppe amid a thunder of hooves, banners flapping in the breeze and swords aloft. Emitting furious war cries, they desce... read more..
The Tide Is Going Out on Putin
Events and opinions
1748

The Tide Is Going Out on Putin

Russia is a great power whose reach now exceeds its grasp. Although capable of bold moves, it is beset by strains. In 2016, Moscow will face pressures to align ambitions with means, but this will req... read more..
Kazakhstan Asks U.S. Judge to Help Bully Press
Events and opinions
1901

Kazakhstan Asks U.S. Judge to Help Bully Press

Hoping to use the "U.S. court system as a weapon in its war against a free press," Kazakhstan's government subpoenaed Facebook for information that could endanger such dissidents as editor it incarcer... read more..
Astana Emerges: Expo 2017
Events and opinions
1631

Astana Emerges: Expo 2017

The Expo 2017 global gathering will showcase developments from around the world in the field of green, renewable and sustainable energy. Expo 2017 will place Astana, Kazakhstan in the international sp... read more..
Kazakhstan: Cash-Strapped Astana Cuts Funds for Flagship Exhibition
Events and opinions
1574

Kazakhstan: Cash-Strapped Astana Cuts Funds for Flagship Exhibition

Hot on the heels of a graft scandal that has blighted a flagship exhibition to be staged in Kazakhstan’s capital comes news that its budget is being slashed – again. With Kazakhstan in the throes of ... read more..
Kazakhstan President Calls Snap Election
Events and opinions
1657

Kazakhstan President Calls Snap Election

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev dissolved the lower house of parliament Wednesday and called a snap election, urging the nation to consolidate at a time of economic hardship caused by the crash ... read more..
Kazakhstan: Security Service Shake-Up Sets Off Succession Speculation
Events and opinions
1902

Kazakhstan: Security Service Shake-Up Sets Off Succession Speculation

Kazakh National Security Committee Chairman Nurtay Abykayev (standing) receives his marching orders from Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev during a meeting with the country’s intelligence agency o... read more..
Alex Nisengolts: Corruption hinders Kazakhstan reforms
Events and opinions
1727

Alex Nisengolts: Corruption hinders Kazakhstan reforms

After reading my earlier posts about privatization opportunities in Kazakhstan and the deterrent effect of the FCPA on American investment in that country, and Kazakh listings in the U.S., a reader as... read more..
The Russia-Turkey crisis: What impact on Central Asia?
Events and opinions
1784

The Russia-Turkey crisis: What impact on Central Asia?

Russian President Vladimir Putin is well-known for being a man who does not do things by half measures. The anti-Turkish campaign launched by the Kremlin is proof of this. Ever since Turkey shot ... read more..
Stop Using These 2 Phrases to Talk About Central Asia. Please, don’t let your Great Game spill over into mine.
Events and opinions
1746

Stop Using These 2 Phrases to Talk About Central Asia. Please, don’t let your Great Game spill over into mine.

Central Asia is seldom covered in the international press and when it is, it is often condensed politically, geographically, and economically into a single unit — an amalgamation that does the job but... read more..
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