Since Europe moved to close its market to Russian gas in the wake of the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin has actively sought new export markets. But in 2024, Gazprom – once the world’s largest energy company – reported losses of 1.076 trillion rubles (around $12.89 billion), its firstContinue Reading
The fate of the Caspian Sea hangs in the balance. A vital and irreplaceable natural treasure, the world’s largest landlocked body of water is being plundered in secrecy, its future dictated by international oil and gas giants operating behind closed doors. This opaque system, facilitated by the Ministry of Energy,Continue Reading
This week the trial of Temirlan Yensebek – the founder of the satirical Instagram account Qaznews24 – began after being postponed twice. Yensebek was detained in January and charged with inciting interethnic discord under Article 174 of the Kazakh Criminal Code. The offending material was his use of the rapContinue Reading
On March 30, a video was uploaded to the unofficial Instagram account of Imangali Tasmagambetov, a Kazakh national who is the head of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). In the video, Tasmagambetov, speaking in Kazakh, quoted multiple Kazakh writers and spoke about his upbringing in western Kazakhstan, all withContinue Reading
Recent years have revealed significant vulnerabilities in the global economic system, as traditional supply chains and historic trade routes have struggled to adapt to an international system that is increasingly troubled by geopolitical tensions and instability. Unsurprisingly, the world’s leading powers have taken action to secure their position and protectContinue Reading
There has been a little time to digest the summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, the first of its kind, bringing together all five Central Asian heads of state and the two presidents of the European Union on April 4. The participants may still be literally digesting the rack of lamb andContinue Reading
Of the 57 countries singled out for additional “reciprocal” tariffs in U.S. President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” executive order on April 2, Kazakhstan is the only Central Asian state to make the list. Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan will be subject to baseline 10 percent tariffs, which went into effectContinue Reading
On April 3-4, delegations from the European Union and the five Central Asian nations will convene in Samarkand for the first-ever Central Asia-European Union Summit. This landmark gathering takes place amid a complex new phase in international relations, characterized by growing unpredictability, erosion of international norms, economic weaponization, and intensifyingContinue Reading
Last month’s U.N. General Assembly 11th emergency special session – dedicated to the resolution of the war in Ukraine – illuminated a shift in support from the United States. The U.S. seems to have had a change of heart with the re-election of President Donald Trump and voted against Resolution ES-11/7,Continue Reading
The Trump administration is terminating almost all foreign assistance grants to Central Asian countries, according to a document reportedly sent to the U.S. Congress this week outlining canceled and retained U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) programs. If the document matches reality, it not only marks a devastating blow toContinue Reading
