Modern Kazakhstan

This volume analyses the economic, political and social dynamic of modern Kazakhstan as seen by insiders and Western experts. Their opinions converge on the assumption that there are hard times ahead but that Kazakhstan has the potential to weather the storm.

Against the backdrop of its mineral wealth, Kazakhstan has been touted a Central Asian tiger state. In contrast to most other Central Asian countries, it was able to evade civil war and large-scale bloodshed and to assume a leadership position which won international recognition and respect. At the same time, the country could not evade the global financial crisis and its human rights record is far from being immaculate. This volume analyses the economic, political and social dynamic of modern Kazakhstan as seen by insiders and Western experts. Their opinions converge on the assumption that there are hard times ahead but that Kazakhstan has the potential to weather the storm.

Autorentext

Hans-Georg Heinrich is Professor emeritus at the Department of Political Science at the University of Vienna, and Vice-President of the International Center for Advanced and Comparative EU-Russia/NIS Research (ICEUR Vienna). He has authored and edited several books on Post-Soviet politics and served in field presences of international organizations in various transition countries. Ludmilla Lobova is an ethnologist and political scientist with a focus on Post-Soviet research. She is Scientific Director of ICEUR Vienna. Aydar Amrebaev and Valikhan Tuleshov are senior researchers in the Institute of World Economy and Politics in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Inhalt

Contents: Aydar Amrebaev: The Cultural and Civilisational Basis for the Development of Kazakhstan - Valikhan Tuleshov: Characteristics of the Political Modernization in Present Kazakhstan - Aygul' Solov'eva: The Civil Society is an Indicator of Democratic Progress and an Effective Partner of the Government Concerning the Country's Social Modernization Processes - Zhangazy Karimovich Kunserkin: The Judicial and Legal System in Kazakhstan: Modern Requirements and the Approach to International Assistance - Elnara Baynazarova: Kazakhstan in Global and Regional Politics: Conceptual View and Development Issues - Gregor Legeland: Kazakhstan and the European Union - Challenges and Prospects for a Close Collaboration - Magbat Spanov/Gulnara Kairbaevna Akhmetzhanova: The Economy of Kazakhstan: Myths & Reality - Vasily Astrov: A Note on Kazakhstan's Oil Fund - Stephan Barisitz: The Kazakhstani Banking System: Highly Leveraged Boom, Painful Bust, Costly Recovery - Hans-Georg Heinrich/Ludmilla Lobova: Summary and Conclusions.