logo

Kazakhstan poised to join first-world status

image
Author: Alan Markow
Created: 23 January, 2012
Updated: 13 October, 2022
3 min read

Has Kazakhstan, the oil- and uranium-rich former Soviet bloc nation that borders both the Caspian and Aral Seas, emerged from the shadows of satiric infamy to become one of the great growth engines of the world? Does this ninth-largest nation on the planet have what it takes to move into first-world status and exceed the United States in terms of economic expansion?

The world is of two minds about this country that was once savaged in the film Borat as a backwards hellhole. According to a fawning National Geographic article published just this month, Kazakhstan’s new capital of Astana is “brash and grandiose—and wildly attractive to young strivers seeking success.” In other words, it's a “shining city on the hill” as envisioned by Ronald Reagan.  On the other hand, the current issue of The Economist sees trouble in paradise, with oil worker strikes and unexplained riots pockmarking the country.

Astana is truly a site to behold, with modern architecture and a cosmopolitan lifestyle that is attracting upwardly mobile and well-educated young people. Its creation was the driving obsession of the nation’s 71-year-old President and virtual dictator Nursultan Nazarbayev. For all of his benign leadership, he remains a strongman with a vision for his nation. And that vision does not include democratic reforms.

There can be little doubt about Kazakhstan’s potential. In addition to its rich oil and uranium resources, it has abundant farmland and direct access to major seaports. According to The Economist:

“Growth has averaged 8% a year for the past decade, a far better performance than any of the other ex-Soviet Central Asian economies. Average income per person is now over $11,000 a year, twice as much as Turkmenistan and six times more than Uzbekistan, which, with 28m people, is the region’s most populous country. It puts Kazakhstan nicely among the ranks of middle-income nations.”

The new capital city has an Oz-like aura, with futuristic buildings and vast, attractive plazas. There is a sense of optimism among its residence that has tamped down skepticism about the city’s remote location.

“Never mind that the previous capital, Almaty, is a temperate, pleasant city that few save the president wanted to leave,” National Geographic wrote in its special issue on Kazakhstan. “In late 1997 the government officially relocated to frigid, windswept Aqmola, 600 miles to the north, on the treeless steppe of Central Asia. The town was subsequently rechristened Astana—the Kazakh word for ‘capital’—a change that is commemorated every July 6 on Astana Day, which coincides with Nazarbayev's birthday.”

But that self-same visionary also has a reputation for corruption and human rights violations. Despite his apparent popularity as a leader, elections appear to be rigged, and the president has placed family members in key governmental positions.  Ironically, reports The Economist:

“election-rigging Kazakhstan’s triumph last year was to chair the Organisation for Security and Economic Co-operation, which is dedicated to free votes and democracy….”

And because much of Kazakhstan’s success is through the will of its charismatic president, there is grave concern about succession – a subject that The Economist notes, “may not be raised in public.”  There are rumors that Nazarbayev is ill and being treated for prostate cancer in Germany. That makes the upcoming Parliamentary elections an urgent matter, and possibly the cause for recent unrest, as members of the opposition believe the outcome is a foregone conclusion.

Meanwhile, the educated young people of Astana are filling high-level government positions and enjoying their lattes at the new capital’s cafes. It's almost as if there are two (or more) Kazakhstans. Which will emerge over the long haul, and whether new leadership can sustain the arc of growth currently washing over the nation, remain to be seen.

IVP Existence Banner

Latest articles

votes
Wyoming Purges Nearly 30% of Its Voters from Registration Rolls
It is not uncommon for a state to clean out its voter rolls every couple of years -- especially to r...
27 March, 2024
-
1 min read
ballot box
The Next Big Win in Better Election Reform Could Come Where Voters Least Expect
Idaho isn't a state that gets much attention when people talk about politics in the US. However, this could change in 2024 if Idahoans for Open Primaries and their allies are successful with their proposed initiative....
21 March, 2024
-
3 min read
Courts
Why Do We Accept Partisanship in Judicial Elections?
The AP headline reads, "Ohio primary: Open seat on state supreme court could flip partisan control." This immediately should raise a red flag for voters, and not because of who may benefit but over a question too often ignored....
19 March, 2024
-
9 min read
Nick Troiano
Virtual Discussion: The Primary Solution with Unite America's Nick Troiano
In the latest virtual discussion from Open Primaries, the group's president, John Opdycke, sat down ...
19 March, 2024
-
1 min read
Sinema
Sinema's Exit Could Be Bad News for Democrats -- Here's Why
To many, the 2024 presidential primary has been like the movie Titanic - overly long and ending in a disaster we all saw coming from the start. After months of campaigning and five televised primary debates, Americans are now faced with a rematch between two candidates polling shows a majority of them didn’t want....
19 March, 2024
-
7 min read