Crisis in Kazakhstan: Protests, Regime Stability, and Regional Security
Kazakhstan is now recovering from its worst bout of unrest since acquiring independence in 1991. Protests in early January over a gas-price hike mysteriously escalated, leading to scenes of chaotic violence in Almaty and other cities. President Kassym-Jomart Tokaev responded with force. He also sought and received support from the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), which dispatched a roughly…