Kazakhstan Borat May Have Genuinely

Kazakhstan

Borat may have genuinely if not inadvertently "make benefit glorious nation of Kazakhstan." Although initial publicity for the former Soviet nation seemed negative, the enormous popularity of the Borat character and feature film has lent a cult mystique to Kazakh culture. Kazak culture is a unique synthesis of tribal and modern customs, and the composition of the nation's 15 million people is relatively diverse. About half of Kazak's citizens can trace their ancestry to Turk-Mongol nomadic shepherds. Kazak culture might not exhibit the exaggerated extremes embodied in Borat but the nation is plagued by several social and political problems including widespread poverty and environmental degradation. As a result, quality of life for most Kazaks is low in spite of burgeoning economic interest in the nation's oil and energy reserves.

Sovereign for just over a decade, Kazakhstan has been inhabited by Turk and Mongol nomadic groups for centuries. The region was conquered by the Russians in the 18th century and later, Kazakhstan became one of the republics of the Soviet Union. Modern Kazakhstan reflects a commingling of indigenous Kazak and Russian influences. Russians comprise about one-third of the nation's population and both Russian and Kazak are widely spoken. Russian is more commonly used than Kazak as the language for business and commercial transactions, whereas Kazak is the official state language. In spite of robust economic and political ties with Russia, Kazakhstan does not permit dual citizenship. According to the BBC Country Profile, ethnic Russians in Kazakhstan "resent the lack of dual citizenship and having to pass a Kazakh language test in order to work for government or state bodies." One of the motivations for Kazakhstan's strict citizenship policy is the struggle to create a "cohesive national identity," (CIA).

In addition to Kazaks and Russians, the nation is also home to a number of ethnic minorities including Ukrainians, Germans, Uzbeks, Chechens, and Kurds. Before the breakup of the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan had a substantial Slavic population too, many of whom immigrated as part of a governmental program to cultivate Kazak lands. Since independence, Kazakhstan's population has dwindled consistently due to substantial out-migration of Soviet-era settlers.

Kazakhstan is an ethnically and religiously pluralistic state. Most ethnic Kazaks are Sunni Muslim, and most ethnic Russians are Russian Orthodox. Kazak Islam is syncretic and can be described as "folk Islam," combining the indigenous animism with Tatar-influenced Sunni Islam (Bashiri). Shamanism and animism remain part of the fabric of Kazak religious and cultural life, especially in rural regions. Religious and ethnic discords are not major social issues in Kazakhstan in spite of its diverse make up (BBC).

Governmental corruption, environmental degradation, and income disparity are, however, major problems in the Central Asian nation. Many of these problems can be traced to Soviet rule. The U.S.S.R.'s policies left an indelible stamp on Kazakhstan, which was used as a nuclear testing ground and toxic waste dump. The Aral Sea is severely polluted, and has shrunk due to inefficient irrigation projects (BBC). Kazakhstan has signed onto a series of international environmental treaties in an attempt to overcome and remedy some of these major environmental issues (CIA). A relatively low life expectancy rate (58 for men) is likely related to environmental degradation but a high rate of HIV infection and drug addiction problems also diminish life expectancy and quality of life for Kazaks. The Kazak health care system is privatized, decentralized, and poorly maintained (Bashiri). However, Kazakhstan has a high (98.4%) literacy rate and universal, mandatory public grade school education.

President Nursultan Abish-uly Nazarbayev has been head of state since 1989 when Kazakhstan was still a Soviet Republic, raising serious questions about the ability of Kazakhstan to transition from Communism to Democracy. Although Nazarbayev is credited with maintaining domestic ethnic stability after the breakup of the Soviet Union, he has "allowed an inner circle of family members, friends, and business associates to exert formal and informal influence over vital economic resources and political positions," (Freedom House).

In the most recent presidential election in 2005, Nazarbayev obtained an unbelievable 90% of the vote. Presidential elections in Kazakhstan can generally be described as shams and have been criticized "by all major international organizations as falling short of international standards," (Freedom House). For example, in 1999 Nazarbaev barred his opponent from running based "on a technicality," (BBC). The current Kazak parliament does not include a single member from opposition parties (Freedom House). Currently, all parties represented in the Kazak parliament are supportive of Nazarbaev.

In response to accusations that he and his Otan party have been suppressing political dissent, Nazarbayev claims that he supports a slow transition to democracy because "stability could be at risk if change is too swift." The president went so far as to change the constitution of Kazakhstan so that "only he can initiate constitutional amendments, appoint and dismiss the government, dissolve Parliament, call referenda at his discretion, and appoint administrative heads of regions and cities," (CIA). Endowing his office with unchecked power, Nazarbaev has passed legislation that "grants him powers for life" even after he leaves office," (BBC). The CIA World Factbook describes the government of the Republic of Kazakhstan as possessing "authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch."

The promise of democracy in Kazakhstan will remain unfulfilled under these legislative conditions. The "growing consolidation of the authoritarian regime under Nazarbaev's patronage" has aroused international consternation and concern (Freedom House). Concurrent with Nazarbaev's corrupt regime, the Kazak head of state has suppressed press freedoms. Although the Kazak Constitution advocates freedom of the press, any published criticism of Nazarbaev is classified as a criminal offence (BBC). The Kazak government controls all major media in the nation. Deft control of the media disallows open political discourse.