Nazarbayev – Our Friend the Dictator

Nazarbayev – Our Friend the Dictator

Author: Viktor Khrapunov

Publisher: ibidem-Verlag / ibidem Press

Published: 2015-07-01

Total Pages: 179

ISBN-13: 3838268075

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"Like David, I am battling against a Goliath that has almost immeasurable means and powerful allies. I don't think I can win, I just want to be heard. No dictatorship lasts forever, and if my contribution can sooner or later bring about its downfall, then I will have achieved what I set out to do." The man waging this unequal war is Viktor Khrapunov. He used to be mayor of Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city, and the country's Energy Minister before he was forced into exile. From Switzerland, where he now lives with his family, he brings charges against the rule of Nursultan Nazarbayev, which will soon reach its twenty-fifth year. Nazarbayev, initially welcomed as a young, dynamic president, has become a reckless and unpredictable dictator over the years. From the abusive privatization of the country's mineral resources and thriving corruption to personal intrigues and the stone-cold elimination of political opponents—Khrapunov's account of the criminal wheeling and dealing of this self-styled 'ruler of the nation' tells it how it is. Based on Khrapunov's insider knowledge from the hallways of global power, his story is also a revelation of Western apathy towards a brutal dictatorial regime. This gripping autobiographical narrative helps the reader understand how Kazakhstan has developed politically from the collapse of the Soviet Union to the modern day, and how it can blossom into a democratic state.


Nazarbayev - Our Friend the Dictator

Nazarbayev - Our Friend the Dictator

Author: Viktor Khrapunov

Publisher:

Published: 2015-10

Total Pages: 175

ISBN-13: 9783838207674

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"Like David, I am battling against a Goliath that has almost immeasurable means and powerful allies. I don't think I can win, I just want to be heard. No dictatorship lasts forever, and if my contribution can sooner or later bring about its downfall, then I will have achieved what I set out to do." The man waging this unequal war is Viktor Khrapunov. He used to be mayor of Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city, and the country's Energy Minister before he was forced into exile. From Switzerland, where he now lives with his family, he brings charges against the rule of Nursultan Nazarbayev, which will soon reach its twenty-fifth year. Nazarbayev, initially welcomed as a young, dynamic president, has become a reckless and unpredictable dictator over the years. From the abusive privatization of the country's mineral resources and thriving corruption to personal intrigues and the stone-cold elimination of political opponentsâKhrapunov's account of the criminal wheeling and dealing of this self-styled 'ruler of the nation' tells it how it is. Based on Khrapunov's insider knowledge from the hallways of global power, his story is also a revelation of Western apathy towards a brutal dictatorial regime. This gripping autobiographical narrative helps the reader understand how Kazakhstan has developed politically from the collapse of the Soviet Union to the modern day, and how it can blossom into a democratic state.


The Creation of Kazakh National Identity

The Creation of Kazakh National Identity

Author: Dmitry V. Shlapentokh

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2023-10-24

Total Pages: 307

ISBN-13: 1000965651

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This monograph utilizes three theoretical models to explain Kazakhstan’s emergence as an independent state and its changing relationships with the broader world, particularly Russia, since the beginning of the twentieth century. The book first explores the construction of Kazakh national identity and the ways in which intellectuals appealed to history to substantiate their claims about Kazakhstan’s future. Secondly, the narrative demonstrates that not all segments of totalitarian machinery work in unison. While terror reached its peak in the 1930s, cultural and ideological control was not as rigid as it would become in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Most importantly, the work is grounded in the study of the social universe. The book introduces the notion of “cosmos,” the peculiar connections between social, economic, and political forces. While not necessarily directly dependent on each other, they nevertheless created a unique interplay among the segments of societal structures and the state’s relationship with the wider universe. Taking this framework as the point of departure, this research analyzes Kazakhstan’s “multi-vectorism” as uniquely fit to contemporary global arrangements, when no global power dominates, and the lines between friend and foe are blurred. This compelling approach to Kazakhstan’s history will appeal to postgraduate students and scholars in Russian history and world history.


Dictators Without Borders

Dictators Without Borders

Author: Alexander A. Cooley

Publisher: Yale University Press

Published: 2017-02-07

Total Pages: 314

ISBN-13: 0300222092

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A penetrating look into the unrecognized and unregulated links between autocratic regimes in Central Asia and centers of power and wealth throughout the West Weak, corrupt, and politically unstable, the former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan are dismissed as isolated and irrelevant to the outside world. But are they? This hard-hitting book argues that Central Asia is in reality a globalization leader with extensive involvement in economics, politics and security dynamics beyond its borders. Yet Central Asia’s international activities are mostly hidden from view, with disturbing implications for world security. Based on years of research and involvement in the region, Alexander Cooley and John Heathershaw reveal how business networks, elite bank accounts, overseas courts, third-party brokers, and Western lawyers connect Central Asia’s supposedly isolated leaders with global power centers. The authors also uncover widespread Western participation in money laundering, bribery, foreign lobbying by autocratic governments, and the exploiting of legal loopholes within Central Asia. Riveting and important, this book exposes the global connections of a troubled region that must no longer be ignored.


Reassessing Lukashenka

Reassessing Lukashenka

Author: G. Ioffe

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2014-10-05

Total Pages: 429

ISBN-13: 1137436751

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What are the factors of Lukashenka's longevity at the helm of power? This question is addressed in the context of Belarusian history and identity, not as an outcome of a form of government deceitfully imposed on an allegedly benighted people whom better positioned and informed outsiders seek to enlighten and liberate.


The Dictator's Handbook

The Dictator's Handbook

Author: Bruce Bueno de Mesquita

Publisher: Public Affairs

Published: 2011-09-27

Total Pages: 354

ISBN-13: 161039044X

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Explains the theory of political survival, particularly in cases of dictators and despotic governments, arguing that political leaders seek to stay in power using any means necessary, most commonly by attending to the interests of certain coalitions.


Power and Purpose

Power and Purpose

Author: James M. Goldgeier

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2003-10-29

Total Pages: 480

ISBN-13: 081579617X

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Russia, once seen as America's greatest adversary, is now viewed by the United States as a potential partner. This book traces the evolution of American foreign policy toward the Soviet Union, and later Russia, during the tumultuous and uncertain period following the end of the cold war. It examines how American policymakers—particularly in the executive branch—coped with the opportunities and challenges presented by the new Russia. Drawing on extensive interviews with senior U.S. and Russian officials, the authors explain George H. W. Bush's response to the dramatic coup of August 1991 and the Soviet breakup several months later, examine Bill Clinton's efforts to assist Russia's transformation and integration, and analyze George W. Bush's policy toward Russia as September 11 and the war in Iraq transformed international politics. Throughout, the book focuses on the benefits and perils of America's efforts to promote democracy and markets in Russia as well as reorient Russia from security threat to security ally. Understanding how three U.S. administrations dealt with these critical policy questions is vital in assessing not only America's Russia policy, but also efforts that might help to transform and integrate other former adversaries in the future.


Blair Inc - The Power, The Money, The Scandals

Blair Inc - The Power, The Money, The Scandals

Author: Francis Beckett, David Hencke & Nick Kochan

Publisher: Kings Road Publishing

Published: 2016-06-30

Total Pages: 283

ISBN-13: 1786062216

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THE STORY BEGINS ON 27 JUNE 2007. THAT WAS THE DAY TONY BLAIR OFFICIALLY RESIGNED AS PRIME MINISTER, WAS APPOINTED MIDDLE EAST PEACE ENVOY, AND SET ABOUT MAKING HIMSELF SERIOUSLY RICH. Since leaving office in 2007, the empire of Tony Blair has grown exponentially. As a businessman he has been unprecedentedly successful for a former public servant, with a large property portfolio and an estimated £80 million of earnings accrued in just a few short years. But how has he managed to achieve this? Being an ex-Prime Minister comes with certain advantages, and besides his excellent state pension and twenty-four-hour security team, Blair enjoys the best contacts that money can buy – as do those willing to pay him for access to those contacts. Consequently, Tony Blair Associates' clients can be found around the world, and include the controversial presidents of Kazakhstan and Burma. There is also Blair's role as special envoy in the Middle East. While his record as a peacemaker is in doubt, the position has brought him into contact with a variety of oil-rich potentates in the region who now number among his most profitable clients. Blair Inc.: The Wars, the Money, the Scandals takes a close look at the complex financial structures in Blair's world. From the many layers of tax liability to the multiple conflicts of interest produced by his increasing web of relationships, this book exposes the private dealings of this very public figure.