Kazakhstan
Power and the Elite
Sally N. Cummings
- 224 pages
- English
- PDF
- Available on iOS & Android
Kazakhstan
Power and the Elite
Sally N. Cummings
About This Book
Kazakhstan is the largest state in Central Asia. Rich in oil, gas and other natural resources and sandwiched between China and Russia it occupies a key geopolitical position, the importance of which was further heightened following the attacks of 9/11 and subsequent wars in the wider Middle East. But Kazakhstan was born by default, gaining independence only reluctantly as the Soviet Union collapsed. Its political elite, facing
complex tasks of state-building, also lacked a monoethnic base on which
to build its legitimacy. Based on original material and extensive
interviews in the capital and three of the country's regions, the book places the elite in the country's broader institutional and historical context, analysing their identity, behaviour and how they gained and secured power in the early independence years. Kazakhstan: Power and the Elite is essential reading for all those interested in the history, politics and
international relations of this fascinating country.