... Tokayev discourse is limited in its imaginatory scope. Kazakhstan’s discourse has thus centred on shifting agency away from both the factional power struggle as well moving culpability away from the
incensed local citizenry whose initial legitimate protests
appear to have been hijacked by political opportunism.
Artem Dankov:
A Post-Crisis Kazakhstan: Economic and Social Transformation
Russia’s emerging narrative has been to position its intervention rhetorically against an overt ‘revolution’ and implied Turkic nationalist elements, a deft game, attempting to meld an entirely domestic ...
... socioeconomic situation. For instance, rental prices in Almaty grew by 30% in 2020–2021.
Andrey Kortunov:
Political Extremists, Gangs First Ones to Gain from Kazakh Turmoil
Civil activity’s three factors: NGOs, blood ties, and extremists
The January protests in Kazakhstan manifested an extensive geographic reach while developing at a breakneck pace. During a couple of days—literally—rallies and riots spread over 10 regions, with some of the regional authorities losing control of the situation. The post-Soviet ...
The Preliminary Lessons of the Crisis in Kazakhstan
With the current situation in Kazakhstan remaining unclear and reports on last-minute developments being incomplete and controversial, many fundamental questions about the unfolding crisis so far have not received clear and convincing answers. Were the street protests purely spontaneous or had they been carefully planned and skillfully organized? Does the public outrage and mutiny have exclusively domestic roots or is it linked to powerful foreign sponsors, managers and instigators? What are the core demands ...
