United States

Kazakhstan

Economics

Energy

KazMunayGas chief Askhat Khassenov met TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanne in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, to discuss the next phase of the North Caspian (Kashagan) project and review ongoing cooperation on the 1 gigawatt Mirny wind project, KazMunayGas' press service announced on Nov. 3.

Kazakhstan: Government Deepens Western Energy Ties Ahead of Tokayev's Washington Visit

Military & Security

Politics

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev used his Republic Day address to reiterate plans for sweeping constitutional reforms that would create a unicameral, party-list parliament and reaffirm Kazakhstan's "strong presidential" system, KazTAG reported on Oct. 24. 

Kazakhstan: Tokayev Pushes 'Strong Presidency' Reform Amid Crackdown

China

The U.S. Trump administration is supporting Cove Kaz Capital Group's bid to develop two of Kazakhstan's largest tungsten deposits, facilitating negotiations with the sovereign wealth fund Samruk-Kazyna and exploring financing through the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation and Export-Import Bank, Bloomberg reported on Oct. 21. 

Kazakhstan, U.S.: Trump Team's Tungsten Push Invites U.S. Investment, Risks Chinese Ire

Ukraine

Russia

Kazakhstan's Ministry of Energy said oil and gas production at the Karachaganak oil and gas field was cut by 25%-30% after Ukraine's Oct. 19 drone strike on Russia's Orenburg gas processing plant halted gas intake from the site, Reuters reported on Oct. 20.

Kazakhstan, Russia: Orenburg Strike Forces Output Cuts at Karachaganak, Raising Domestic Stability Risks

Azerbaijan

Kazakhstan's government confirmed that Azerbaijan's state oil company, SOCAR, is in advanced negotiations to join the Dunga oil field project, an asset formerly majority-owned by French supermajor TotalEnergies, Report Information Agency reported on Oct. 14.

Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan: Governments Deepen Energy Ties to Power Middle Corridor

Russia's Gazprom and Kazakhstan signed a memorandum of understanding on a new cross-border gas pipeline and an agreement outlining long-term processing of Kazakh gas at Russia's Orenburg Gas Processing Plant, RIA Novosti reported on Oct. 8. 

Kazakhstan, Russia: Gas MoUs Deepen Energy Ties With Russia Amid Rising Domestic Shortages

Turkey

Uzbekistan

Kyrgyzstan

At the 12th summit of the Organization of Turkic States in Gabala, Azerbaijan, President Ilham Aliyev called for joint military exercises in 2026, framing the bloc as a rising geopolitical force linking Central Asia and Europe, Azerbaijan State News Agency reported on Oct. 7.

Azerbaijan: Aliyev Calls for Joint Military Drills Under the Organization of Turkic States

Cyber

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov announced the opening of an artificial intelligence lab in Astana, Kazakhstan, to develop new AI services for the app's more than one billion users, KazTAG reported on Oct. 2. 

Kazakhstan: Telegram Opens AI Lab in Astana as Oil Wealth Fuels AI Ambitions

Assessments

Venezuela

Spain

Tajikistan

Turkmenistan

Tanks on Sept. 23 in Caracas, Venezuela. The Trump administration has reportedly decided to attack military sites in Venezuela in strikes that could occur at any moment.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Potential U.S. Strikes in Venezuela, U.S. Outreach in Central Asia

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev waits to greet foreign leaders during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states leaders' summit in Astana on July 4, 2024.

Despite President Tokayev's reform proposals, Kazakhstan's succession process will remain vulnerable to destabilizing forces, including elite rivalries and foreign influence.

How Kazakhstan's Proposed Reforms Will Impact the Question of Succession

Vietnam

Belarus

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary To Lam (L) address journalists following their talks in Moscow, Russia, on May 10, 2025, during celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. 

Vietnam is strengthening its relationships with Eurasian countries, especially Russia, as it looks to further diversify economic and energy ties away from great powers amid an unstable geopolitical landscape.

Russia-Vietnam Ties Are Set To Grow Following Lam's Eurasia Tour

Iraq

Saudi Arabia

The OPEC logo is seen outside the bloc's headquarters in Vienna, Austria, on Oct. 4, 2022.

The production boost will further decrease oil prices, which will provide some financial relief for oil-consuming countries affected by U.S. tariffs, while further straining the budgets of poorer oil producers like Iraq. 

The Mixed Economic Impact of OPEC's Production Increase

Namibia

Tanzania

Uruguay

The NATO symbol and flags of some member countries Oct. 18 in Brussels. The NATO-Ukraine Council will meet Nov. 26 to discuss Russia's first use of an experimental ballistic missile on Ukrainian territory, which on Nov. 21 Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed involved a new medium-range, hypersonic ballistic missile known as "Oreshnik."

The Weekly Rundown: A NATO-Ukraine Summit, Putin's State Visit to Kazakhstan

Cambodia

Japan

Germany

France

Afghanistan

The Geopolitics of Water

The escalating impacts of climate change and water scarcity will inflame tensions between Central Asian countries, raising the risk of violent state conflict in the coming decades. 

The Geopolitics of Water: The Looming Threat of Central Asian 'Water Wars'

Snapshots

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev waits to greet foreign leaders during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states leaders' summit in Astana on July 4, 2024.

Continued liberalization will strengthen Kazakhstan's economic outlook in the coming years, but close ties to Russia and China may stifle foreign investment and limit growth.

Will Economic Liberalization Be Enough To Attract Foreign Investment in Kazakhstan?

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (right) greets Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Nov. 9, 2023.

Despite inking new deals with Moscow, Astana will continue to deepen its ties with China, the West and Turkey, which over time will increase tensions with Russia.

Kazakhstan's Diversification Push Won't Spur Russian Retaliation -- For Now

U.S. President Joe Biden (C) and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (3R) participate in a meeting of the C5+1 with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Turkmen President Serdar Berdymukhamedov and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in New York City on Sept. 19, 2023. 

The United States is set to modestly increase engagement with Central Asia, but constraints will prevent a significant upgrade in ties.

Biden's Central Asia Meeting Demonstrates the Region's Growing Importance

Columns

On Geopolitics

People seeking to return to work in Russia line up outside Tajikistan's state air ticket agency in the capital of Dushanbe on April 8, 2021. 

Social Issues

The ongoing war in Ukraine has left Russia in need of more soldiers, workers and political scapegoats -- a problem in which Central Asia's migrant population will play a critical role.

The Plight of Central Asian Migrants in Wartime Russia

Media

Podcasts

Central Asia is reemerging as a key region for trans-Eurasian trade, but not without complications.

Applied Geopolitics: Central Asia's Geopolitical Challenges

A conversation about what's behind the strained relationship between Russia and Kazakhstan.

Essential Geopolitics: Russia vs. Kazakhstan

The ninth largest country in the world, Kazakhstan rests in the heart of Central Asia, bordering Russia to its north; China on its east; Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan along its south; and the Caspian Sea to its west.     The defining feature of Kazakhstan is the Kazakh Steppe, a large dryland stretching across more than 70 percent of the country. Only 12 percent of the country's land is arable, and the majority of that is in the north connecting into Russia's agricultural belt. There is also a large pocket in the south. This expanse has largely pushed the population of nearly 18 million to the outer borderlands. The steppe is encircled by a series of sizable mountain ranges.      The core of the country lies in the corridor stretching across the Shymkent (also known as Southern Kazakhstan) and the Almaty region, where the climate is warm compared with the inhospitable deserts of the steppe. This stretch of land lies in the Syr Darya river basin, creating a fertile pocket of land protected to its east, west and north by mountain ranges. Shymkent and Almaty were some of the largest stopping posts along the Silk Road, and they now have the country's densest population and swaths of the financial, industrial and agricultural sectors. To the region's south lies the Fergana Valley in Uzbekistan &mdash; a vulnerable point to its core.     The Kazakh economy is dominated by its energy sector, making up nearly 20 percent of the gross domestic product. The country exports 78 percent of its oil production, regionally and along large trunk lines to China and Russia. Along with its agricultural and metals wealth, Kazakhstan's energy sector has made the country highly valuable to its neighbors. In recent decades, the country has positioned itself as the financial hub of Central Asia, tying in the banking systems of its smaller neighbors.     Kazakhstan maintains strong ties with Russia, which reach back to its empire and Soviet phases. But the government in the capital, Astana, is also developing links to China and other players to balance Moscow. The country tries to maintain working relationships with its smaller neighbors, who have seen bouts of instability. Kazakhstan's challenges stem from its mostly hollow interior, from encroaching large powers and from the potential instability of smaller regions on its border.

SITUATION REPORTS

Kazakhstan: Government Deepens Western Energy Ties Ahead of Tokayev's Washington Visit

Kazakhstan: Tokayev Pushes 'Strong Presidency' Reform Amid Crackdown

Kazakhstan, U.S.: Trump Team's Tungsten Push Invites U.S. Investment, Risks Chinese Ire

Kazakhstan, Russia: Orenburg Strike Forces Output Cuts at Karachaganak, Raising Domestic Stability Risks

Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan: Governments Deepen Energy Ties to Power Middle Corridor

Kazakhstan, Russia: Gas MoUs Deepen Energy Ties With Russia Amid Rising Domestic Shortages

Azerbaijan: Aliyev Calls for Joint Military Drills Under the Organization of Turkic States

Kazakhstan: Telegram Opens AI Lab in Astana as Oil Wealth Fuels AI Ambitions

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