After watching “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan”, I started to wonder if it’s true that Kazakhstan is all about shooting bears, backward and insignificant.
Maybe some people would say, “So what???”
Pretty surprising for me, it turns out that this unlikely contender sitting on the border between the European and Asian continents is indeed important in many ways, some mundane and some quite extraordinary as I will show below.
First, some basic background Info:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kz.html
“…Kazakhstan's economy is larger than those of all the other Central Asian states combined, largely due to the country's vast natural resources and a recent history of political stability.”
“…extends from the Volga to the Altai Mountains and from the plains in western Siberia to oases and desert in Central Asia.”
“…border countries: China 1,533 km, Kyrgyzstan 1,224 km, Russia 6,846 km, Turkmenistan 379 km, Uzbekistan 2,203 km”
“…major deposits of petroleum…”
“…Kazakhstan, the largest of the former Soviet republics in territory, excluding Russia, possesses enormous fossil fuel reserves and plentiful supplies of other minerals and metals. “
“…Major deposits of natural gas, coal, iron ore, manganese, chrome ore, nickel, cobalt, copper, molybdenum, lead, zinc, bauxite, gold, uranium”
“…republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch…”
“…religion: Muslim 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2%, other 7%”
“…legal system: based on Islamic law and Roman law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction”
But still, is this really important, or is it just a conspiracy geezer reading too much between the lines?
This is taken from http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90883/6639732.html
“…China and Kazakhstan on Friday issued a joint statement, agreeing to further deepen their strategic partnership. Both sides reiterate that further deepening of this partnership is the priority of their foreign policies. The two countries will maintain and enhance high-level political dialogues, intensify cooperation in the fields of culture, economy and trade, energy, communications as well as science and technology. The statement said that Kazakhstan reiterates that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China and the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government of China. It opposes ‘Taiwan independence’ in any form.”
Well that seems clear and fine, though surely Kazakhstan is hitting a bit above its head on the Taiwan Issue? Going against the US and all.... well anyhow it seems the Chinese are keen to have very close ties indeed:
From the same site as above:
“…The joint statement was issued during Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev's state visit in China from April 15 to 19 at the invitation of Chinese President Hu Jintao.”
That's weeks ago only.
And despite of the above, for some time the country also had “Strategic” partnerships with the other world players too.
http://www.huliq.com/12861/u-s-envoy-calls-kazakhstan-strategic-partner
“…U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher said after meeting with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev in Astana that the two countries are “strategic partners.”
Strategic partners with China and the US and also openly attacking a strong US supported ally Taiwan...hmmm it gets much more interesting.
http://www.huliq.com/27719/us-ngos-want-to-ban-kazakhstan-from-nuclear-technologies
“…Four non-governmental organizations in the United States have called on the Bush administration to ban Kazakhstan from nuclear technologies and from buying 10% in the Westinghouse nuclear power company from Japan's Toshiba.”
And yet, the sale went ahead!
Also from the same site as above:
“…The organizations' letter, which has been sent to a U.S. Treasury committee for foreign investment, also said Kazakhstan's nuclear facilities and materials were not protected, and added some people in the country were involved in illegal trade in nuclear materials.”
The country certainly seems to be given a big leash by China and the US, while basically they both want Kazakhstan as a best friend, even bending rules to achieve that. Especially when you consider the fact omitted from the CIA world fact book on its true leadership nature:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kz.html
“…Kazakhstan's scarce democratic principles continue to wither. In the past several years, the president has harassed the independent media, arrested opposition leaders, and passed a law making it virtually impossible for new political parties to form. In Dec. 2005, President Nazarbayev was reelected with 91% of the vote. In May 2007, Parliament voted to do away with term limits, thus allowing President Nazarbayev to remain in office indefinitely.”
How did the US react?
http://www.huliq.com/22451/u-s-says-kazakh-reforms-a-move-in-right-direction
“…The U.S. State Department says recent amendments to Kazakhstan's constitution, which include a change allowing the president to stay in office for life, represent on the whole a step in the right direction.”
So why do China and the US love this country so much when it goes against their main geopolitical goals elsewhere, as shown below, which following the Taiwan situation is very opposite in traditional world politics, and again very recent:
http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssUtilitiesElectric/idUSLD84093020090513
“…Kazakhstan and South Korea signed $5 billion worth of long-term energy and technology agreements on Wednesday in a move allowing South Korea to increase its presence in the oil-rich Central Asian nation. The agreements, signed during the visit of President Lee Myung-bak to the former Soviet republic, include deals in power, technology and other sectors, a Kazakh official said.”
So they have been busily courted over the last few months... The main friends of China & South Korea, whilst enemies of Taiwan and strategic partners at the same time with the USA....hmmm anything else?
http://www.nytimes.com/marketing/iht/search/?iht
“…Dmitry Medvedev visited neighboring Kazakhstan Thursday on his first trip abroad as Russia's new president.”
http://centralasia.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2008/06/10/kazak-russian-relations/
“…Medvedev stated; “Astana did not become the first foreign capital that I have visited as president of Russia by chance. The main thing is that Russia values the genuinely friendly and mutually-advantageous relations with Kazakhstan, our strategic partner.” President Nazarbayev went even further, calling the two nation’s bilateral links tighter than those of any other two states on earth.”
Seems to be THE strategic partner of all the worlds powers then, and loved by them all no matter if it goes against their other allies openly... so how about relations with other very important geopolitical countries? What's been happening unnoticed by the world's media and average Joe?
From Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL):
“…Iran and Kazakhstan both possess huge oil reserves, so it was expected that Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad’s visit would focus on exports of Kazakh oil through Iran. But the most sensational energy news to emerge from the Iranian leader's visit concerned not oil, but nuclear power. At an April 6 press conference in Astana, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev restated his government’s position that Iran, “like any other nation in the world, has the right to peaceful nuclear energy."
Wow… weeks after signing deals in South Korea (which cannot happen without USA) and China, Kazakhstan gets a visit by the most despised person in Washington!
I know as I looked into this more, I became very confused about this little known, regarded and talked about country being so chased by all the world players, being in such a unique political situation with them, being so strategically important especially considering as said it is based on Islamic Law and has an almost totalitarian regime.
http://www.rferl.org/content/Iranian_Leader_Backs_Kazakh_Proposal_For_Nuclear_Fuel_Bank/1604048.html
“…Nazarbayev described ties between Kazakhstan and Iran as "growing day by day."
“…Last year, the two countries expanded their cooperation in oil exports, with talks on Kazakh investment in building new refineries in northern Iran to handle Kazakh oil.”
“…President Nazarbayev, while standing beside President Ahmadinejad at the press conference, praised U.S. President Barack Obama for his proposal on nuclear-weapons reduction.”
“…On April 7, the Kazakh parliament’s press service announced Nazarbayev had extended an invitation to Obama to visit Kazakhstan “at his earliest convenience.”
http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/kazakhstan/
“…Kazakhstan found itself owner of one of the world's largest nuclear arsenals.”
“…The other major Soviet military facility on Kazakh soil is the Baikonur space launch facility, the home of the Soviet space exploration program and, until 1994, Russia's premier launch site for military and intelligence satellites. Kazakhstan and Russia debated ownership of the facility, while the facility itself suffered acute deterioration from the region's harsh climate and from uncontrolled pilfering. In 1994 Russia formally recognized Kazakhstan's ownership of the facility, although a twenty-year lease ratified in 1995 guaranteed Russia continued use of Baikonur.”
“…Chemical and biological weapons were produced in Aksu, and chemical weapons were manufactured in Pavlodar.”
http://newshopper.sulekha.com/news/china-far-ahead-but-kazakhstan-still-desires-india-alliance.htm
“…Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Nurian Yermekbayev told a visiting IANS correspondent: 'We are interested in India's partnership in information technology (IT), space research and oil exploration.”
“…For India, the most attractive oil domain outside the Persian Gulf is the Caspian Basin. Recognizing this, India is already trying to befriend the region and gain a foothold. “
“…But experts say India must do more to build meaningful relationships with countries such as Kazakhstan. Says strategic expert Sanat Kushkumbayev: 'It's time India looked towards east in its close neighbourhood rather than focusing only on the west.' “
MAIN QUESTION: What has Kazakhstan got that is so important that it seems to have the ear of all, and carte blanche behavior diplomatically?
The obvious is the huge oil and mineral reserves.... and maybe pre-Depression I would have put this down to that. But with the depression also comes the drop in demand and price for a very long time to come. Also to be considered is the fact that it sells to everyone anyhow: Iran, Russia, US (set it up in Kazakhstan’s visit in 2006), China and has new pipelines being built now to all these countries. This concludes that Kazakhstan does not seem picky who it sells the oil to.
So if this is not the reason, then what is really up?
Having brought this to your attention, I will say something from a bit of confidence: this unknown country may one day soon or a few years down the line be all over every newspaper and news broadcast in the world. And in a world changing way: the seeds are certainly there.
More References:
http://news.google.co.uk/archivesearch?q=kazakhstan%27s&scoring=t&hl=en&ned=uk&sa=N&sugg=d&as_ldate=2008&as_hdate=2008&lnav=dt
http://en.rian.ru/world/20070507/65054917.html
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V52-4KJ753J-2&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=44cadcda79e499ee4259a6c6550a5c2d
http://articles.latimes.com/2004/jun/20/news/adfg-space20
http://www.cacianalyst.org/?q=node/1798
http://eurasianet.org/resource/kazakhstan/hypermail/200705/0010.shtml
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