Kazakhstan and the United States: Twenty Years of Ambiguous Partnership

In this issue brief, the author argues that Kazakhstan’s relatively stable state, liberal economic policies, and engagement with the world increases its potential to embrace democratic reforms in the near to medium term and that the US should play a supportive role in this process. The most stable and fruitful bilateral partnership for the United States in Central Asia over the past twenty years has been with the Republic of Kazakhstan in a variety of areas, including nuclear non-proliferation, economic development, and energy extraction. On the other hand, this relationship has also been characterized by a certain ambiguity that primarily relates to Kazakhstan’s development as a democratic state that honors human rights and rule of law. Against this backdrop, this brief discusses the future of US-Kazakhstan relations.

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