Kazakhstan’s new military doctrine shifts logic of country’s security agenda

A bne IntelliNews piece discusses Kazakhstan’s subtle shift away from Russia in defense and security policy. Astana’s new military doctrine strays away from the Moscow-oriented focus on terrorism and extremism and instead stresses the importance of border security and the mitigation of potential armed conflicts. Although the new military doctrine does not name Russia as a threat, it mentions the “militarization of the region” and “hybrid warfare,” which can be interpreted as threats posed by Moscow. Simultaneously, Astana is beginning to develop its military industrial complex and is switching the alphabet for the Kazakh language from Cyrillic to Latin, which fits into the pattern of an “invisible wedge” growing between Kazakhstan and Russia in the aftermath of Moscow’s seizure of Crimea.

 

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