‘Looking East’: How Can Kazakhstan Secure Favourable Mining Contracts with Foreign Investors
In the 1990s, major Western oil companies poured billions of dollars of investment into the Kazakh oil industry, leading Kazakhstan to become one of the world’s largest oil producers. While these investments provided a massive boost to the economy, their terms were less than favourable for the country. Western oil investors retain as much as…
Case For Connectivity: How Can Central Asia Adapt to AI Era?
AKTAU — Generative artificial intelligence has quickly become a part of our everyday life, replacing traditional search engines for many people. Need a new meal plan? You type into an AI chat-bot. Need help with an essay? ChatGPT is your friend. A lot of attention has been devoted to how the introduction of AI will…
Vanishing Sea: How Caspian Sea is Disappearing Right Before Our Eyes
AKTAU — I have been coming to Aktau, a city on Kazakhstan’s Caspian Sea coast, since I was a child. It is where I was born and where most of my family still lives. I spent countless summers splashing in the water, walking the shoreline, and staring out from my grandmother’s apartment window. Now, as…
