U.S.-Kazakhstan Relations at 30: - Eurasian Security & Prosperity - By Kamran Bokhari

Exacerbating matters for the Chinese is the Taliban comeback in Afghanistan in the wake of the end of the U. [...] But for the Kazakh elite, the stakes are much higher, given the potential for rapid political reforms leading to instabili- ty.31 The January 2022 public protests against the increase in fuel prices and the broader discontent with political and economic conditions which led to the outbreak of violence underscored the need for greater reforms but also the risk of instability. [...] The Second Era (2001–2021): The War in Afghanistan The events of September 11, 2001 upended the domestic and foreign policy trajectory of the U. [...] Even under the Biden administration, when Secretary Antony Blinken attended the C5+1 group meeting, the conversations were in the context of the final stages of the withdrawal from Afghanistan. [...] Separately—but in the same vein of increased economic and diplomatic security— Nur-Sultan seeks to develop a regional cooperation body for the five Central Asian ‘Stans, along the lines of the Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).65 Strengthening intra-regional ties is all the more critical because of the emerging situation in Afghanistan, increasing competition between the U.