What is Happening in Kazakhstan?

Join us for a special event co-sponsored with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs, and RFE/RL.

The riots that erupted on January 5, 2021 in Almaty and then spread to Kazakhstan’s other cities have taken the government by surprise, but signals of unrest were present since Nazarbayev left the presidency in 2019. The dismissal of the Cabinet, the removal of Nazarbayev from the Security Council presidency, the storm of the Parliament and the Almaty airport, as well as police violence will, without a doubt, mark a turning point in the history of Kazakhstan. At a more geopolitical level, the impact will be decisive too, as the CSTO has, for the first time in its history, sent peacekeeping troops at President Tokayev’s request. 

Who are the protesters? What do they want? What are the genuine grassroots aspects and the instrumentalization of popular resentment by some elites for internal struggles? How can the regime survive such clashes? What will be the regional impact of the crisis in what was until then the most stable and prosperous country of Central Asia?

In this event, locally-based journalists and experts will share their views on the current crisis. The names of our guest speakers will be announced soon, depending on the situation with Internet in the country.