Nina Khrushcheva on Russia and Kazakhstan #FPABriefings

Foreign Press Association USA

As the Russian Troops shocked many observers by pulling out from Kazakhstan, the FPA hosted Nina Khrushcheva, New School professor and grand-daughter of Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, to discuss the local and global implications of the affair with FPA President who had previously worked in the country. It was clear that the foreign interference was conjured up but the authorities in Russia and Khazakhstan and that there were plenty of reasons for locals to protest, but also a strong suspicion that clan supporters of the previous avaricious strongman Nazarbayev, worried about being sidelined by his replacement, were implicated in the violence. Getting Nazarbayev’s hand out of the till is a step forward, even though no one is sure where he is now, but he was masterful at balancing domestic and geopolitical influences. The cloud of uncertainty will spread across the region, with global implications.