Voice of Democracy
Published by Kazakhstan 21st Century Foundation · Washington, D.C. ·July 22, 2002

US UPSET BY 'ANTI-DEMOCRATIC TREND' -- The Bush Administration harshly criticized "anti-democratic developments" in Kazakhstan and hinted the increasingly repressive practices of the Nazarbayev regime may threaten bilateral relations. The two countries have been moving closer since Sept. 11 but Washington has been disappointed with the limited cooperation it has received from Astana in the war against terrorism as well as the country's "anti-democratic trend." State Department spokesman Richard Boucher yesterday indicated these measures violate Nazarbayev's commitment to President Bush embodied in their joint statement last December "that confirmed their desire to strengthen democratic institutions and process such as independent media." Boucher reminded Nazarbayev that "fighting terrorism is best done (by)…stable, open, democratic societies." Nazarbayev's new law effectively banning opposition political parties is the just the latest piece of "restrictive legislation" that has Bush administration "increasingly concerned," said Boucher. Nazarbayev has ignored the repeated urgings of "senior officials from Washington as well as our Embassy in Almaty" to reverse this trend, Boucher noted. He noted that such measures along with "ongoing harassment of opposition figures and the independent media" and selective prosecution of political opponents "pose a serious threat to the democratic process in Kazakhstan." The Administration called on Nazarbayev to "reverse that anti democratic trend [and] recommit to protecting and advancing the basic democratic tenets." http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/12034.asx

FAMILY MATTERS -- What good is nepotism if you can't help your family? President Nazarbayev has named his son-in-law Rakhat Aliyev to be the country's ambassador to Austria. It wasn't Aliyev's first choice ­ corruption charges led to his resignation last fall as deputy chairman of the National Security Committee -- but he is married to the powerful First Daughter and media baron, Darigha. Rumor has it that the couple is estranged, which may also explain his foreign assignment. http://www.interfax news.com/

KAZAKH 'DEMOCRACY' SPELLED 'DYNASTY' ­ Part of the blame for the for the lack of democracy in former Soviet republics like Kazakhstan "lies with U.S. policy makers" who failed to hold them "accountable for undemocratic behavior," writes Martha Brill Olcott, a Carnegie Endowment expert on Central Asia. She criticized the Bush Administration for designating Kazakhstan a market economy at a time when "its president has opposed democratic reforms and been a party to corruption severe enough to threaten the country's continued economic growth." President Nazarbayev is reportedly "one of the 10 or 20 richest men in the world," she writes in Newsday. He is under investigation for bribery and money laundering by Swiss and American authorities. Ironically, Swiss investigators discovered Nazarbayev's cash cache when he sent them on a wild goose chase after his presidential rival and former prime Minister Akezhan Kazhegeldin turned out to be clean, but not Nazarbayev, who wound up the target of investigators. Meanwhile, "Kazhegeldin was hounded into exile, fearing arrest in Kazakhstan," she said. Nazarbayev "regularly reaffirms his commitment" to democracy but his rule becomes increasingly characterized by corruption, autocracy and nepotism. "Kazakh-style democracy looks more like dynastic rule," according to Olcott, author of "Kazakhstan: Unfulfilled Promise." He has made sure he can rule as long as he wishes, has eliminated any viable competition and is reportedly grooming his daughter and son-in-law as possible successors. He faces little international pressure for economic and political reform because of his country's vast mineral wealth, but, Olcott warns, "by not pushing the Kazakhs harder for democratic reforms the United States is putting the stability of the oil- and gas-rich Caspian region at unnecessary risk." http://www.newsday.com/

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