Kazakhstan

Economics

Energy

Politics

According to preliminary data published by the country's central election commission, 71.12% of voters supported a referendum on Oct. 6 to construct a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported on Oct. 7.

Kazakhstan: Tokayev Suggests 'Consortium' Could Build Nuclear Plant as Nuclear Power Referendum Passes

Germany

Uzbekistan

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz signed a series of agreements to increase bilateral cooperation with Uzbekistan across several areas, including critical raw materials and migration, Bloomberg reported on Sept. 15.

Germany, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan: Berlin Strengthens Central Asian Energy and Raw Material Ties

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

In his annual state-of-the-nation address, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced that a long-awaited referendum on the issue of building a nuclear power plant in the country will be held on Oct. 6, the Astana Times reported Sept. 3.

Kazakhstan: Tokayev Announces Nuclear Power Referendum Date, Economic Reforms in Annual Address

Tajikistan

Russia

Afghanistan

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called on members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, or CSTO, to support Astana's proposal to establish a U.N. regional center to develop trade and economic ties with Taliban-led Afghanistan, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported on June 3.

Kazakhstan, Tajikistan: Kazakh and Tajik Leaders Spar Over Afghanistan Initiatives

Turkmenistan

Military & Security

The Afghan Taliban, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan agreed to build a logistics hub in the western Afghan province of Herat for regional exports, Reuters reported on May 2. 

Afghanistan: Afghan Taliban Agree With Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan on Logistics Hub

China

Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev named 43-year-old Olzhas Bektenov, the chief of staff of his administration and the former head of Kazakhstan's anti-corruption agency, as the country's youngest-ever prime minister, AP reported on Feb. 6. 

Kazakhstan: Tokayev Names Youngest-Ever Prime Minister

Iran

Turkey

Europe

Kyrgyzstan

At the Investors Forum for EU-Central Asia Transport Connectivity, European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis announced that European and international financial institutions will commit 10 billion euros ($10.84 billion) toward sustainable transport connectivity in Central Asia, Interfax reported on Jan. 29.

EU, Central Asia: EU-Central Asia Forum Pledges $10.8B for Transport Connectivity

France

French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to strengthen France's Strategic Partnership with Kazakhstan and praised Kazakhstan's refusal to "be a vassal of any power" following a meeting with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Astana, Le Figaro reported on Nov. 1.

France, Kazakhstan: Macron Vows to 'Accelerate' France's Strategic Partnership With Kazakhstan

Assessments

United States

Cambodia

Japan

The Geopolitics of Water

The escalating impacts of climate change and water scarcity will inflame tensions between Central Asian countries, raising the risk of violent state conflict in the coming decades. 

The Looming Threat of Central Asian 'Water Wars'

Snapshots

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev waits to greet foreign leaders during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states leaders' summit in Astana on July 4, 2024.

Continued liberalization will strengthen Kazakhstan's economic outlook in the coming years, but close ties to Russia and China may stifle foreign investment and limit growth.

Will Economic Liberalization Be Enough To Attract Foreign Investment in Kazakhstan?

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (right) greets Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Nov. 9, 2023.

Despite inking new deals with Moscow, Astana will continue to deepen its ties with China, the West and Turkey, which over time will increase tensions with Russia.

Kazakhstan's Diversification Push Won't Spur Russian Retaliation -- For Now

U.S. President Joe Biden (C) and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (3R) participate in a meeting of the C5+1 with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Turkmen President Serdar Berdymukhamedov and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in New York City on Sept. 19, 2023. 

The United States is set to modestly increase engagement with Central Asia, but constraints will prevent a significant upgrade in ties.

Biden's Central Asia Meeting Demonstrates the Region's Growing Importance

Columns

On Geopolitics

People seeking to return to work in Russia line up outside Tajikistan's state air ticket agency in the capital of Dushanbe on April 8, 2021. 

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Social Issues

The ongoing war in Ukraine has left Russia in need of more soldiers, workers and political scapegoats -- a problem in which Central Asia's migrant population will play a critical role.

The Plight of Central Asian Migrants in Wartime Russia

Media

Podcasts

Central Asia is reemerging as a key region for trans-Eurasian trade, but not without complications.

Applied Geopolitics: Central Asia's Geopolitical Challenges

A conversation about what's behind the strained relationship between Russia and Kazakhstan.

Essential Geopolitics: Russia vs. Kazakhstan

Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) and his Kazakh counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev arrive in Astana before a regional summit on Oct. 14, 2022. 

Moscow's steadily eroding economic and political influence over Astana could eventually push Russia to retaliate with coercion -- and potentially even military action. 

The Risks of Kazakhstan's Slow Drift From Russia

Algeria

Lebanon

Palestinian Territories

Russian President Vladimir Putin (center) listens to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan (left) at the 2019 Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. 

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Putin and Erdogan Head to Kazakhstan, Palestinian Leaders Head to Algeria

South Africa

Ukraine

Computer equipment used by a 'miner' of Ethereum on Oct. 20, 2021, in Vilassar de Mar, Spain.  A proof-of-stake concept will reduce Ethereum's power consumption by an estimated 99.9% and enable faster transaction speed calculations.

The Weekly Rundown: Xi at the SCO Summit, Ramaphosa at the White House

Chinese President Xi Jinping gives a speech in Hong Kong on July 1, 2022. 

The Chinese president's first post-COVID trip abroad will showcase Beijing's desire to boost economic cooperation with developing states like Kazakhstan, as well as solidify its partnership with Russia amid mounting competition with the West. 

Xi's Central Asia Visit Offers a Fresh Start for Chinese Diplomacy

Guidance

Servicemen and their military vehicles block a street in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on Jan. 7, 2022, following violent protests in the city. 

Security

The Fight for Russia’s Borderlands

The harsh crackdown on protests and deployment of Russian troops risk exacerbating the factors turning Kazakhs against their government and its ties to Moscow.

The Response to Kazakhstan’s Crisis Sets the Stage for Future Unrest

The ninth largest country in the world, Kazakhstan rests in the heart of Central Asia, bordering Russia to its north; China on its east; Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan along its south; and the Caspian Sea to its west.     The defining feature of Kazakhstan is the Kazakh Steppe, a large dryland stretching across more than 70 percent of the country. Only 12 percent of the country's land is arable, and the majority of that is in the north connecting into Russia's agricultural belt. There is also a large pocket in the south. This expanse has largely pushed the population of nearly 18 million to the outer borderlands. The steppe is encircled by a series of sizable mountain ranges.      The core of the country lies in the corridor stretching across the Shymkent (also known as Southern Kazakhstan) and the Almaty region, where the climate is warm compared with the inhospitable deserts of the steppe. This stretch of land lies in the Syr Darya river basin, creating a fertile pocket of land protected to its east, west and north by mountain ranges. Shymkent and Almaty were some of the largest stopping posts along the Silk Road, and they now have the country's densest population and swaths of the financial, industrial and agricultural sectors. To the region's south lies the Fergana Valley in Uzbekistan &mdash; a vulnerable point to its core.     The Kazakh economy is dominated by its energy sector, making up nearly 20 percent of the gross domestic product. The country exports 78 percent of its oil production, regionally and along large trunk lines to China and Russia. Along with its agricultural and metals wealth, Kazakhstan's energy sector has made the country highly valuable to its neighbors. In recent decades, the country has positioned itself as the financial hub of Central Asia, tying in the banking systems of its smaller neighbors.     Kazakhstan maintains strong ties with Russia, which reach back to its empire and Soviet phases. But the government in the capital, Astana, is also developing links to China and other players to balance Moscow. The country tries to maintain working relationships with its smaller neighbors, who have seen bouts of instability. Kazakhstan's challenges stem from its mostly hollow interior, from encroaching large powers and from the potential instability of smaller regions on its border.

SITUATION REPORTS

Kazakhstan: Tokayev Suggests 'Consortium' Could Build Nuclear Plant as Nuclear Power Referendum Passes

Germany, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan: Berlin Strengthens Central Asian Energy and Raw Material Ties

Kazakhstan: Tokayev Announces Nuclear Power Referendum Date, Economic Reforms in Annual Address

Kazakhstan, Tajikistan: Kazakh and Tajik Leaders Spar Over Afghanistan Initiatives

Afghanistan: Afghan Taliban Agree With Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan on Logistics Hub

Kazakhstan: Tokayev Names Youngest-Ever Prime Minister

EU, Central Asia: EU-Central Asia Forum Pledges $10.8B for Transport Connectivity

France, Kazakhstan: Macron Vows to 'Accelerate' France's Strategic Partnership With Kazakhstan

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