The United States has long regarded Nazarbayev as one of the region’s most mature politicians–a pro-Western strategic thinker with moxie. Washington supported Kazakhstan’s independence, mainly to keep the country’s treasures of oil and natural gas out of Russia’s grip. But now the ““strategic partnership’’ between Nazarbayev and Washington has become stormy. A U.S. State Department official called the disqualification of Kazhegeldin a ““slap in the face.''
Nazarbayev’s victory celebration may be subdued. Kazakhstan has benefited from a major oil rush in the Caspian region. But lately, low oil prices have cut government revenue by a third and pushed the country into debt. On the snowy streets of Almaty, restaurants are still doing a brisk business and shops are well stocked. But people are bracing for the worst. They know they can count on one thing, though: many more years of Nazarbayev.
