Protests and riots have erupted across Kazakhstan from the start of the year. The protests began after the government removed the cap on gas prices. This caused prices to almost double within the week and resulted in immediate outrage from citizens. Further reports suggest Kazakh civilians were already discontent with their government. Their anger is fueled by the former president, Nazarbayev, allegedly controlling the nation behind the scenes.
Protestors and rioters set fire over the week to multiple buildings throughout Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty. The city’s administration office blazed as protestors flooded into the airport. Further riots broke out across the nation and in the capital. In response, all government cabinet members resigned Jan 5. The government also shut down internet access for the country in an attempt to prevent protestors from organizing. However, the unrest continued to rise and led to bloody clashes with the military.
Jan 6. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev asserted that the protestors were trained terrorist groups and “therefore, they need to be destroyed, and this will be done in the near future.” To accomplish this goal, the President called on his alliance with Russia for troop aide. Over 2,000 Russian troops arrived in Kazakhstan to put an end to the protests and riots. Jan 7. Tokayev ordered troops to “shoot to kill without warning.” The interior ministry stated that 26 “armed criminals” had been “liquidated” and 18 members of law enforcement had died. As of Jan.11, the death toll has risen to 164 and almost 10,000 people have been detained.
Western Worries
There are a few major issues from the unrest that could lead to big problems for the the western world. One situation the west fears is Russia expanding its sphere of influence. Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated many times that he wants to regain the power of the USSR. So, the west fears that Putin will keep his troops in Kazakhstan to increase his power in the region. Tokayev will owe Putin a great debt for his help in ending the unrest.
China had also offered to send troops to aid Tokayev. Chinese President Xi Jinping declared his support for Kazakhstan’s President calling his response “highly responsible.” The problem for the west here is the relationship between China and Russia. With Russia’s expanding influence, the worst case scenario would be an alliance between the two nations. Kazakhstan may serve as a proxy between the two and serve to improve their relations.
Potential Biases: Note, the subjects below are simply my interpretations/opinion and are not meant to be taken as a statement of fact. My opinions will discuss only the framing/bias I believe to be present.
The bias in this story is primarily based in western vs. eastern ideas. Western outlets will paint Tokayev and the military as the villains. They did this by focusing on facets of the unrest such the death toll and the shoot-to-kill order. The outlets posted many images of burning buildings and horrible situations across Kazakhstan. They did not show many images of the military helping people or showcase the violence of the riots. The west is benefited by the east looking unstable and weak.
Eastern outlets are more likely to show Tokayev and his response in a positive light. The east wants to appear strong and hide any potential weaknesses. Putin has agreed publicly with Tokayev that the unrest was caused by terrorists and revolutionaries. This is to create the image that the unrest was due to outside forces and not based on internal politics. Putin also made this statement to show that his own nation is well equipped to quickly handle outside threats. The east did not want the situation in Kazakhstan to allow any western influences into their region.