Chaos in Kazakhstan & What Does Putin Really Want?

In this episode, Alex goes into why there are major protests occurring across Kazakhstan. Are they about oil or something bigger? Later he looks into Putin’s fixation on Ukraine and why he is furious with NATO. In Putin's eyes, in the post-Cold War era, the West has humiliated Russia. What does he want?

 

Over the last week, what started as mainly peaceful protests in a western city in Kazakhstan called Zhanaozen, now have turned into nationwide protests and riots. The protests started over close to a 60% rise in gasoline prices in this oil-rich country, but now they have tapped into a deeper rage about the country’s political structure. The President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, has requested that Russia send in troops to help quell the violence and Russia is sending paratroopers. The US has condemned these actions and now it looks like Russia may have a two-front issue in the region (Ukraine and Kazakhstan). Alex goes into the history of Kazakhstan since the fall of the Soviet Union. Freedom House rated Kazakhstan as a "consolidated authoritarian regime", stating that freedom of speech is not respected and "Kazakhstan’s electoral laws do not provide for free and fair elections. Even after the former president, Nursultan Nazarbayev resigned in 2019 after decades of rule, he still is behind the scenes. The population seems to want change.

 

Later in the episode, Alex asks the question - why is Putin always acting out? And why is he opposed to NATO? After the end of the Cold War, there were guarantees that NATO would not expand into Eastern Europe (though this changed later). However, over time, NATO has expanded in appeal and many former Soviet nations have joined the bloc. The Economist notes that “A bloc that once shared only a slender border with Russia, in Norway’s northern fringes, now encompasses the Baltic states, former Soviet territories within 200km of St Petersburg and 600km of Moscow. Seven of the eight former members of the Warsaw Pact have become part of nato.” Alex discusses how Putin feels betrayed in the post-Cold War era and he seems to be holding onto Ukraine. In Putin’s eyes, Russia has been humiliated and he wants a seat at the table. Will the west let him?