Understanding Kazakhstan: A Conversation on Politics, Economics and Culture
Marcin Kusztal and Dr Kuat Akizhanov in conversation
23 July 2026 14:00 BST Online
Kazakhstan is often viewed through familiar lenses: as a post-Soviet success story, a resource-rich economy, a strategic middle power balancing Russia and China, or an authoritarian state pursuing gradual reform. Yet these frameworks frequently fail to capture the country’s complexity or explain how it functions in practice. This online discussion brings together two contrasting but complementary perspectives: one grounded in political economy and development, the other in long personal and professional experience of the region. Together, the speakers will explore how stereotypes, external models and conventional wisdom shape our understanding of Kazakhstan, and why culture, history and lived experience are essential to making sense of its politics, economy and society.
Marcin Kusztal is an international business advisor and author with over 15 years of experience working with government institutions, state-owned enterprises, and private-sector leaders across Kazakhstan and Central Asia. He advises investors, funds, and companies on market entry, partner selection, and the complex relationship dynamics that shape business outcomes in high-context environments. Drawing on extensive experience in sectors including energy, infrastructure, transport, and public safety, he helps organisations navigate the cultural and institutional realities that often determine the success or failure of strategic initiatives. Kusztal is the author of The Steppe Rules: What Western Companies Get Wrong Before the First Meeting, an acclaimed guide to doing business in Kazakhstan and Central Asia.
Dr Kuat Akizhanov is a political economist and public policy specialist with extensive experience in academia, government, and international development. He currently serves as Deputy Director of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Institute in Urumqi, China. Before joining CAREC, he held senior research and leadership positions at Kazakhstan’s Institute of Strategic Studies and the Academy of Public Administration. Prior to academia, he spent 15 years in public service, working across Kazakhstan’s ministries of justice, finance, labour and social protection, and the President’s Administration. He is the editor of the soon to be published Heterodox Approaches to Development in Central Asia : Post-Soviet Development Economics and Society for which he contributed an article for the RSAA blog.
