Kazakhstan Unrest
Is the CSTO on the Brink of Collapse?
On November 23, the heads of the six member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) met in the Armenian capital of Yerevan for a pivotal summit just as...
Why Biden Must Keep a Close Eye on Kazakhstan
For the past several weeks, all eyes have been on Ukraine, as Russian president Vladimir Putin prepared for and launched a full-scale invasion against a sovereign nation. This was not...
Why the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Was Absent in Kazakhstan
Two regional security organizations arose after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) was formed in 1992, followed...
Kazakhstan and CSTO Intervention: Geopolitics or Intra-Elite Struggle?
Protests initiated by the raising of liquified petroleum gas prices in western Kazakhstan on January 2-3 precipitated a week of nationwide unrest and violence that resulted in the deaths of...
How Will Sanctions Impact Kazakhstan’s Foreign Policy?
The protests and violence in early January in Kazakhstan that resulted in at least 225 deaths—civilians and security forces—more than 4,000 injured, some 6,000 arrested, and concluded with a short-lived...
Russian Troops to Withdraw From Kazakhstan This Week
The Russian troops that intervened in Kazakhstan to put down a series of protests and violent unrest will begin their withdrawal in two days, according to Kazakh president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Tokayev,...
Putin Claims ‘Foreign-Backed Invasion’ Defeated in Kazakhstan
Russian president Vladimir Putin claimed on Monday that Russian troops had helped save Kazakhstan from a “foreign-backed invasion,” according to Reuters. In his remarks to the Collective Security Treaty Organization...
Where Is the Unrest in Kazakhstan Headed?
Developments in Kazakhstan have moved rapidly over the past week from apparently spontaneous protests over gas prices to an organized uprising, the removal of long-time ruler Nursultan Nazarbayev and his...
A Black Swan Event Takes Kazakhstan By Storm
In Kazakhstan, transformation of initially peaceful protests into a full-blown revolt against the government has caught many observers off guard—and this should not be surprising, considering the sheer magnitude and...
What’s Really Behind the Unrest in Kazakhstan?
Mass protests erupted earlier this week in the western Kazakh town of Zhanaozen, ostensibly triggered by sharp increases in fuel prices. Kazakh president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev initially responded in a placatory...
Russian Troops Arrive in Kazakhstan
Protests continued in Kazakhstan on Thursday as Russian paratroopers arrived in the country following the embattled government’s request for the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) to intervene. Dozens of demonstrators...
Can Central Asia Overcome Its Biggest Challenge in Thirty Years?
Central Asia is usually considered to be on the periphery of global politics. In recent decades, developments in Afghanistan notwithstanding, the region’s internal activities have not been covered by international...