Paul Bartlett, Moscow Times: Kazakhstan Wakes Up
There has long been a disconnect between what Kazakhstan's government wants to offer the public and what the people need.
It’s been a while coming but Kazakhstan has finally woken up, with alarming scenes of government buildings in flames and thousands of protesters filling the streets and clashing with security forces coming out of Almaty, Kazakhstan’s commercial hub.
In scenes quickly replicated across the country, protesters, initially fired up by fuel price hikes that came into effect on Jan. 1, took to the streets.
The government backtracked on the price rises but the protesters' demands had already moved on, with calls for more political involvement and the final removal from power of former president Nursultan Nazarbayev.
The rallying cry of “Shal Ket”, (Old Man Out), a reference to Nazarbayev, could be heard at protests across the country.
But the calls are more about dismantling the corrupt system that the “Leader of the Nation,” a title bestowed upon Nazarbayev, has bequeathed to Kazakhstan.
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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials On The Unrest In Kazakhstan -- January 8, 2022
Maps and charts to understand Kazakhstan’s protests -- Al Jazeera
Why Violence Has Exploded in Kazakhstan -- Anna Akage, Worldcrunch
Inequality is driving protest against Kazakhstan’s authoritarian government -- Peter Leonard. The Guardian
Kazakhstan's Unprecedented Crisis -- Paul Stronski, Carnegie
EXPLAINER: Kazakhstan seeks Russia-led security group’s help -- AP
Resource-rich Kazakhstan invites Putin to guard its henhouse -- Paul Roderick Gregory, The Hill
Kazakhstan, Russia, and why recent protests matter -- Yahoo News
Will Unrest in Kazakhstan Inflame Tensions Between Russia and the West? -- Foreign Policy
Russian intervention in Kazakhstan risks ‘destabilising' ethnic divides -- France 24
Kremlin Fears 'Color Revolution' in Kazakhstan -- Jamie Dettmer, VOA
Putin’s Kazakh gambit tightens his grip on ex-Soviet space -- Oksana Antonenko, Politico
Kazakhstan protests: A nightmare or an opportunity for Russia? -- DW
Putin taking a risk in Kazakhstan and may hope for reward -- The Guardian
Russia’s Involvement in Kazakhstan’s Crisis Could Have Wide Implications -- Moscow Times
How protests in Kazakhstan could become a geopolitical crisis -- Jen Kirby, VOX
