CPC - Caspian Policy Center

Research

Kazakhstan’s Arbitration Victory and the Recalibration of Oil-Gas Agreements

Kazakhstan’s Arbitration Victory and the Recalibration of Oil-Gas Agreements

Significant repercussions are expected out of a recent court ruling both for Kaz...

Cutting Friction, Not Just Distance:  The Almaty Bypass and the Race to Make the Middle Corridor Competitive

Cutting Friction, Not Just Distance: The Almaty Bypass and the Race to Make the Middle Corridor Competitive

Lilly Horrigan

02/04/2026

Recent funding for the construction of the Almaty Bypass Railway is set to accel...

Kazakhstan Joins the Abraham Accords: Strategic Opportunities and Risks

Kazakhstan Joins the Abraham Accords: Strategic Opportunities and Risks

On November 6, 2025, Kazakhstan became the first country to sign up to the Abrah...

Echo of the Eurasian Steppe: The Saiga’s Unprecedented Recovery in Kazakhstan

Echo of the Eurasian Steppe: The Saiga’s Unprecedented Recovery in Kazakhstan

Kurtis Yan

11/20/2025

Known for its prehistoric appearance, the saiga antelope became an icon among th...

A Matter of Sanctions or Migration: Opposing Narratives on the Kazakh-Russian Border Slowdown

A Matter of Sanctions or Migration: Opposing Narratives on the Kazakh-Russian Border Slowdown

Lilly Horrigan

10/28/2025

Since September, kilometers-long lines of trucks have formed along the Kazakh-Ru...

Kazakhstan’s AI Ambitions and the Nuclear Power to Drive It

Kazakhstan’s AI Ambitions and the Nuclear Power to Drive It

Nigel Li

08/26/2025

Countries around the world are searching for ways to use artificial intelligence...

From Silk Road to Steel Rails:  How the Almaty Bypass Reinforces the Middle Corridor’s Strategic Promise

From Silk Road to Steel Rails: How the Almaty Bypass Reinforces the Middle Corridor’s Strategic Promise

With increased attention to the development of the Middle Corridor, infrastructu...

Beyond the Contract: What Kazakhstan’s Rosatom Deal Says About Its Foreign Policy Balancing Act

Beyond the Contract: What Kazakhstan’s Rosatom Deal Says About Its Foreign Policy Balancing Act

Berik Matebay

06/24/2025

On June 14, Kazakhstan announced the selection of Russia’s state-owned nuclear c...

As Russia Re-Stalinizes, Kazakhstan Looks Ahead

As Russia Re-Stalinizes, Kazakhstan Looks Ahead

Russia unveiled several new signs this spring of Joseph Stalin’s re-incorporatio...

Kazakhstan’s Surprise: The Impact of Trump Tariffs on Central Asia and the Caucasus

Kazakhstan’s Surprise: The Impact of Trump Tariffs on Central Asia and the Caucasus

Ali Dayar

04/07/2025

While the international community tries to position itself amidst the U.S. annou...

Recognizing the Taliban:  Central Asia and an Evolving International Stance

Recognizing the Taliban: Central Asia and an Evolving International Stance

In a major breakthrough for Kabul, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) accepted the c...

PGI: The G7’s Answer to Belt and Road?

PGI: The G7’s Answer to Belt and Road?

In July, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan hosted to a U.S. delegation aiming to enhance...

Kazakh Uranium: A Hot Prospect as U.S. Targets Russian Nuclear Fuel

Kazakh Uranium: A Hot Prospect as U.S. Targets Russian Nuclear Fuel

Charley Ward

05/11/2024

A special report as the United States moves to ban imports of enriched Russian U...

Kazakhstan’s New Nuclear Problem: Lake Balkhash

Kazakhstan’s New Nuclear Problem: Lake Balkhash

Haley Nelson

02/22/2024

Another landlocked lake in Kazakhstan is under threat. While declining water lev...

European and International Financial Institutions to Invest $10 Billion in the Middle Corridor

European and International Financial Institutions to Invest $10 Billion in the Middle Corridor

Toghrul Ali

02/01/2024

The Global Gateway Investors Forum for EU-Central Asia Transport Connectivity co...

The Middle Corridor Is Opening

The Middle Corridor Is Opening

Bruce Pannier

01/22/2024

On January 11, a train from Xian, China, arrived in Azerbaijan, having made an a...

Ambassador Rosenblum sees greater US investment and engagement in Kazakhstan’s future

Ambassador Rosenblum sees greater US investment and engagement in Kazakhstan’s future

JANUARY 4, WASHINGTON D.C.- The United States has prioritized two things in its ...

The Middle Corridor Infrastructure Deals and Developments: 2023 in Review

The Middle Corridor Infrastructure Deals and Developments: 2023 in Review

Haley Nelson

12/21/2023

Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Middle Corridor transit route seemed fa...

Central Asia in Focus: Kazakhstan Imprisons Citizen Who Fought in Ukraine

Central Asia in Focus: Kazakhstan Imprisons Citizen Who Fought in Ukraine

Bruce Pannier

12/07/2023

Welcome to Central Asia in Focus, a newsletter that offers insight and analysis ...