“With the deepening of Sino-Turkmen relations, Ashgabat appears to have objective concerns about falling into a strong dependence on the PRC. Given this, the Turkmen authorities are taking measures to diversify routes and their energy buyers’ list,” – Sinologist Ruslan Izimov reveals important aspects of Sino-Turkmen cooperation in the context of the regional situation in this cabar.asia exclusive. (more…)
“The recent change in Iranian leadership, namely the victory of Hassan Rouhani in the 2013 presidential elections as well as the return of reformers and allies of the President to the Iranian parliament in the first half of 2016, denoted the beginning of the implementation of new approaches to the external and internal policy in the Islamic Republic of Iran,” – Kazakhstani expert Lidiya Parkhomchik outlines Iran’s foreign policy strategy in Central Asia in this cabar.asia exclusive.
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“The intertwining of crime with radical ideology is a social phenomenon that requires thorough study and comprehensive analysis. The analysis of this problem should also take into account another aspect related to the youth criminal subculture in that it serves as a breeding ground for splicing together crime and jihadist ideology”- sociologist Serik Beisembaev, writing for cabar.asia, identifies factors of youth radicalization in the context of Kazakhstan.
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“The traditional foreign policy discourse of a civilizational “bridge”, linking the East and the West, has been replaced by a concept of the “central power” in which Turkey stands as an independent geopolitical and geo-strategic center” – this material is devoted to an analysis of Turkey’s influence on the Central Asian states, prepared specially for CABAR. asia, by an analyst from Kazakhstan Iskander Akylbaev.
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“Regardless of the ‘failed test’ which just took place thanks in part to the belated ‘informational’ reaction from official state sources, social networks and messenger apps remain not only platforms for free expression but also channels for social consolidation,” – Kazakhstani expert Alexander Galiev exclusively for cabar.asia examines the issues facing government agencies in controlling the internet and social networks.
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“Kazakhstan’s ascension to the WTO provoked many questions from its EAEU partners. They are worried about how the EAEU activities will develop in light of Kazakhstan’s new commitments to the trade organization. Publically, these integration projects are often opposed to each other,” – Dinara Nurusheva analyses the role and meaning of the WTO for Kazakhstan in this cabar.asia exclusive.
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“The authorities can use force to at best delay a period of massive public protest in the short to mid term. Limitations on civil and political participation within the system in the end will lead to the appearance of non-systemic and radical means of political expression,” – Political Scientist Talgat Mamyraiymov attempts to clarify and expand on the potential, perspectives, and risks for the Kazakhstani protest movement in this cabar.asia exclusive.
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“If countries in the region used to view Afghanistan as a troublemaker of sorts, then lately the public and expert discourse has been focused on finding the weakest link in Central Asia itself. It is hard to be a good neighbor in a bad neighborhood”, – Anna Gusarova, an expert from the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies (KazISS), analyzes the challenges and threats in the region in this cabar.asia exclusive.
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“In the interests of the state’s anti-extremist activity transparency, it is necessary to establish a Public council to monitor the implementation of the State program on combating religious extremism and terrorism in the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2013–2017,” – Andrey Chebotarev, political scientist, analyses the current situation of extremism and the main counter-extremism methods in Kazakhstan, exclusively for cabar.asia.
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“The election campaign of the deputies of the lower chamber of the Kazakh parliament – deputies of Majlis and the local representative bodies – Maslikhats, ended with an obvious and predictable result. Despite the official rhetoric about “importance and fatefulness” of the elections, the passed election campaign could be called as “technical measures” with evident outcomes.” The results of the 2016 elections in Kazakhstan, exclusively for cabar.asia, analyzed by political scientist, Anton Morozov.
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