The Central Asian Republic of Kazakhstan seldom appears in Western media outlets. The exception was coverage of the pro-democracy protests of 2022 when the authoritarian government suppressed mass mobilization and enforced order. According to a University of Toronto researcher, the authoritarian political system in Kazakhstan is unlike to change quickly, or soon.

“Based on my research, authoritarianism persists even in cases where people have access to truthful information,” said Dina O’Brien. “The barriers to taking action are still very high, and not everyone shows sufficient support for democracy to try to change the system. So unfortunately, it persists, in part because people allow it to.” [Read more…]