Authors

Julia Schwab¹;  ¹ University of Glasgow, UK

Discussion

Russia’s war in Ukraine has led to a reordering and re-negotiation of global capital and energy flows. In the background of international sanctions on Russia, the EU’s pledge to break out of its dependence on Russian hydrocarbons, and the exodus of companies from Russia, the Central Asian countries – economically to varying degrees dependent on Russia – have taken steps to reposition themselves internationally. To deepen our understanding of these transformative processes in the Eurasian region, this paper investigates the Kazakhstani regime’s attempts to profit from the changing geopolitical realities.

This paper, firstly, investigates the Kazakhstani regime’s recent public attempts to incentivise international companies to move their regional operations from Russia to Kazakhstan. Secondly, it explores changing outward energy flows from Kazakhstan and the regime’s associated discursive strategies. Relying on qualitative expert interviews and document analysis, this paper attempts to answer two questions: 1. How is Kazakhstan trying to redirect flows in its favour and in how far are these strategies successful? 2. How is the Kazakhstani regime making narrative use of the changing flows to reposition Kazakhstan in the global sphere?

By investigating the opportunities that arise for the Kazakhstani regime through the war in Ukraine, this paper adds to research on varying forms of rentierism and political-economic regime strategies in Central Asia. It also contributes to our understanding of the multiple pathways of transformation and change that affect the region as a consequence of the Russian war in Ukraine.