Kazakhstan Unrest
Kazakhstan’s State-Sanctioned Violence Demands Accountability
While the Biden administration and Congress are focused on the war in Ukraine, it is imperative that Kazakhstan, a critical partner for the United States in combating terrorism and diversifying...
What the CSTO’s Intervention in Kazakhstan Really Means
Responding to the request made by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan on January 5, 2022, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) triggered for the first time its military function—enshrined in...
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...
Kazakhstan’s Crisis Calls for a Central Asia Policy Reboot
The recent crisis in Kazakhstan took many by surprise. Long considered the most prosperous and stable in Central Asia, it now suddenly appears fragile and weak. To draw lessons from...
Last Russian Troops Pull Out of Kazakhstan
The last Russian soldiers departed Kazakhstan on Wednesday, two weeks after they were initially deployed to help put down a series of violent protests against the government of Kazakh president...
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,...
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...
What’s Really Behind the Protests in Kazakhstan?
Is the West’s pursuit of green energy and climate change targets indirectly responsible for the current unrest in Kazakhstan? And what might this suggest about links between environmental policy, energy...