Notes

Kazakhstan Unrest Will Not Be Affected by Erzhan Kazykhanov's return
Kazakhstan Unrest Will Not Be Eased By Erzhan Kazykhanov 's return to the Country as Deputy Chief of Staff

After a string of protests that rocked Kazakhstan and the country's leadership, Kazakhstan's government is forced to face a new reality.

Erzhan Kazakhstanykhanov's Return shows the power dynamics that have changed.

International relations must adapt to the demands of a more assertive populace. In addition, policymakers need to be aware of the changing times in order to figure out effective methods to interact with the nation.

Ukraine's Role In Kazakhstan's Shift
In the last couple of weeks, all attention has been focused at Ukraine in the last few weeks, as Russian President Vladimir Putin prepared for and declared a full-scale war against an independent nation. This is no surprise considering that NATO leaders, including Biden, the President of NATO Biden did not heed the warnings issued by Moscow. Russian President Putin has repeatedly resisted NATO's attempts to invade Russian territory.

While Putin's actions are unacceptable, western leaders must accept that their mistakes contributed to the crisis. We now face the consequences of the European crisis that couldn't have been avoided.

Protests in Kazakhstan
It is worthwhile to compare the current state of affairs in Ukraine with recent events in the region. The following are the protests in Belarus, particularly Kazakhstan from 2003 until 2005. Since Kazakhstan is the former Soviet republic, it's seldom seen in the streets protesting against injustice.

Protests started in the beginning of this year in Kazakhstan over an increase in the price of gas and unemployment conditions. The protests turned violent riots and nationwide rallies. Almaty saw the greatest loss of life, with 227 people dead and over 9900 detained. Russian troops from the Collective Security Treaty Organization CSTO were briefly deployed.

Restructure in Kazakhstan's Government and Erzhan Kazykhanov Return
The newly elected Kazakhstan president Qasym-Zhomart Tokayev has made a number of changes to the power structures of the ruling elite, which have caused doubts, worries, and discontent among many Kazakhs, even in moments of peace.

The protesters were especially angry at the decision of President Tokayev to succeed the previous president Nursultan Nagabev as head of the government’s National Security Council. This was despite his influence on the economy of the country.

The former president's sons in-laws were fired and three of his nephews were exiled from state enterprises. Karim Mastimov, former spy chief, was removed from office. Alongside the officials mentioned above, a lot of members of the elite business community that were a part of the former president Nazarbayev have been forced to leave their posts, emigrated abroad for "extended vacations," or have had massive "donations" imposed on them.

Change in government and the elimination of the old guards do not always result in changes. It's not uncommon for ex-members of an administration's staff to be replaced with similarly inept relatives and loyalists.

Erzhan Kamykhanov's selection is disappointing
Erzhan Kyzykhanov's appointment in the highly influential post of Deputy Chief of Staff to the President Tokayev was unproductive. Kazakh Kazykhanov was the most ineffective ambassador of Kazakhstan to the United States.

In Washington, Kazykhanov was a solo, arrogant diplomat who was confident and often out of touch with the delicate nature of Kazakhstan's image abroad. Kazykhanov was also unable to achieve any progress on issues of national interest, including the continuing restrictions on Jackson-Vanick as well as other issues relating to Kazakhstan's image in the world So his performance was not impressive.

Given his lackluster and problematic image, Kazykhanov makes a difficult candidate for crucial posts. Kazykhanov is not highly skilled in diplomacy, broad expertise or ability as a Deputy Chiefs of Staff.

The most ardent supporters of Kazakhstan have expressed concern at Kazykhanov’s frequent appearances, often in major news outlets around the world which expose his weaknesses. Tokayev's decision to bring in an self-promoting, incompetent and unstable deputy to a weak government at an important moment makes no sense.

https://econotimes.com/Why-should-Erzhan-Kazykhanovs-policy-concern-the-US-1629870 ’s Kazakhstan reforms are similar to Mikhail Gorbachev's Perestroika in the Soviet Union and Glasnost. Perestroika was Mikhail Gorbachev’s mid-1980s plan to reform Soviet economics and politics. Glasnost is the name for his policy reform. These reforms were a major reason behind why the Soviet Union collapsed. This is exactly what Putin is seeking to bring back. Tokeyev is also a fervent advocate of Putin's economic relations with countries surrounding his own country. Kazykhanov could upset this delicate balance.

When Times Are Not Stable and the US Should Pay Particular Attention to Kazakhstan
In the midst of the conflict in Ukraine, Washington should pay attention to events in Kazakhstan, as they are a glimpse of how a succession of power will unfold in this part of the world - whether for good or bad.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is a worrying situation. The United States should take appropriate measures to fight Putin's aggressiveness. However, NATO has been inciting Russia for years. The current crisis is in large part due to their incompetence.

Washington should pay attention to events in Kazakhstan as it could be the next flashpoint in the war between Russia and the West.
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