Kazakhstan

  • diplomacyU.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Central Asian states' foreign ministers in Astana, Kazakhstan, February 28, 2023, photo by Olivier Douliery/Pool/Reuters

    Commentary

    A Case for Greater U.S. Engagement in Central Asia

    Central Asia's souring relations with Russia and growing skepticism of Chinese influence have created a rare and valuable window of opportunity for the United States to bolster its image through greater long-term investment in the region.

    Sep 11, 2023

  • Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the military parade to mark Victory Day in Red Square in Moscow, Russia, May 9, 2023, photo by EyePress News/Reuters

    Commentary

    Advancing U.S. Relationships in Central Asia: An Opportunity Not to Be Squandered

    Concerned about Putin's imperialist actions in Ukraine, five nations in Central Asia are looking to the West to offset the political, economic, and security-related pressures they feel from Russia and, increasingly, China. It would be a mistake for the United States not to seize this moment.

    May 25, 2023

  • Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, December 9, 2022, photo by Vladimir Pirogov/Reuters

    Commentary

    Russia's Appetite May Extend Beyond Ukraine

    Unless Russian forces are defeated in Ukraine or withdrawn by new Kremlin rulers, Moscow might assault other post-Soviet neighbors. The West may face limits on the extent to which it could help them thwart such attacks.

    Feb 17, 2023

  • Report

    Report

    Russia's Limit of Advance: Scenarios

    Russia's ability to deploy military forces around the world is significantly depleted from the Soviet era. This report describes the strengths and weaknesses of Russia's ground force deployment capacity.

    May 27, 2020

  • Participants march on the street during Alilo, a religious procession to celebrate Orthodox Christmas in Tbilisi, Georgia, January 7, 2018

    Report

    Religion, Conflict, and Stability in the Former Soviet Union

    Religion is a visible force in the sociopolitical life of post-Soviet countries. Understanding how religion has contributed to peace or tensions in the region could inform policymakers and others working to bring stability to the former Soviet republics.

    Jan 15, 2018

  • Russian President Vladimir Putin exchanges documents with his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, December 22, 2014

    Commentary

    Can Eurasian Energy Compete?

    Cheaper oil, government interference, and market dynamics jeopardize the future of Russian and Caspian energy. To be globally competitive, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan should let the private sector play a greater role and make more decisions on commercial, rather than political grounds.

    Jan 16, 2015

  • Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev meets with U.S. President Barack Obama during a nuclear security summit in April 2010

    Commentary

    Celebrating the Success of Project Sapphire

    Twenty years ago this week, the United States transported over 600 kilograms of at-risk, weapons-usable highly enriched uranium (HEU) from Kazakhstan to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, for safekeeping. Kazakhstan had the courage to trust its new relationship with the U.S. to help prevent the proliferation of dangerous material to countries that might seek to build nuclear weapons.

    Nov 21, 2014

  • Commentary

    Commentary

    C. Asia's Great Game

    Published commentary by RAND staff: C. Asia's Great Game, in United Press International.

    Mar 5, 2007

  • Commentary

    Commentary

    Central Asia's Other 'Turkmenbashis'

    Published commentary by RAND staff: Central Asia's Other 'Turkmenbashis', in Project Syndicate--an association that distributes commentaries to 291 newspapers in 115 countries.

    Jan 15, 2007

  • Research Brief

    Research Brief

    Economic Development in Central Asia is a Long-Term Security Concern

    This research brief assesses the economic dimensions of security in post-Soviet Central Asia and considers their implications for the role of the United States.

    Jul 27, 2006

  • Research Brief

    Research Brief

    Asian Countries Are Divided About U.S. Security Intentions in Central Asia

    This research brief highlights the nature of Asian states' interests and influence in Central Asia, as well as their interpretations of U.S. intentions in the region, as a starting point for shaping future U.S. policy in Central Asia.

    Jun 6, 2006

  • Research Brief

    Research Brief

    U.S. Military Has Important but Limited Long-Term Role in Central Asia

    This research brief analyzes the implications of economic, political, and social trends in Central Asia and examines the U.S. military role in the area.

    Jan 1, 2005

  • Report

    Report

    Ukraine and the Caspian: An Opportunity for the United States

    The author examines the various options for Caspian oil export and argues that the United States should support a pipeline route through Ukraine to Europe.

    Jan 1, 2000

  • Report

    Report

    Family Planning in Developing Countries: An Unfinished Success Story

    If global fertility has declined so sharply, should the United States and other donor countries continue to invest in overseas population assistance programs, particularly family planning?

    Aug 17, 1998

  • Report

    Report

    The Value of Family Planning Programs in Developing Countries

    Family planning programs have been highly successful over the past 30 years in providing women in development countries with desired access to contraceptive services and helping to reduce fertility rates.

    Jan 1, 1998

  • Dissertation

    Dissertation

    The Unwilling State: Exploring Kazakhstan's Resistance to Economic Autonomy in the Post-Soviet Period

    This dissertation explores the alternatives available to Kazakhstan as it chooses between participation in an economically integrated arrangement with other former republics and charting a more autonomous path.

    Jan 1, 1995

  • Report

    Report

    Impressions and conversations in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, September 1988

    This paper describes the author's experiences as a Study Leader for a Smithsonian group that traveled across Soviet Central Asia in September 1988. Speaking both Russian and Turkish, the author had many revealing conversations with people of both the...

    Jan 1, 1990

  • Report

    Report

    The Effect of Weather on Soviet Wheat Production

    To estimate the effect of climate on Soviet wheat production, this study devises formulas that calculate variability of wheat production in three major areas: Southwest Ukraine, South Ukraine, and Kazakhstan-West Siberia.

    Jan 1, 1980

  • Report

    Report

    [The Possible Influence of Additional Evaporation from Reservoirs and Irrigated Tracts on Precipitation] by A. S. Grigoryeva.

    A brief summary of the findings of Soviet studies on the influence of additional evaporation from reservoirs and irrigated tracts, projected through 1980, on the precipitation over two large territories in which the principal irrigation networks and ...

    Jan 1, 1968