Behind the Unrest in Kazakhstan

Leaderless, spontaneous protests spread rapidly across Kazakhstan in early January.

In this Q&A, Crisis Group explains that demonstrators’ varied demands reflected discontent with worsening inequalities and calcified leadership and discusses the implications of the ensuing government reshuffle and mass arrests.

What prompted the protest wave that swept through Kazakhstan over the past two weeks?

On 2 January, protesters came out into the streets of the petroleum-producing city of Zhanaozen in western Kazakhstan.

They were angry because the government had removed a price cap, leading to doubled fuel…