Why world-class status is still mostly out of reach
Kazakhstan, a former Soviet republic with a population of around 18.5 million, continues its struggle for Europeanisation. Kazakhstan is known for its dry steppes, natural resources, vast oil fields and profitable uranium exports.
This geographically large, but scarcely populated country, located in the Middle East and Central Asia region, barely attracts the world’s attention, except when it comes to political grand corruption scandals.
Nevertheless, Kazakhstan’s politics is not all about corruption. Kazakhstan’s national leader and former president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, used revenues from the country’s natural resources to advance progressive reforms, including in the education arena.