In this episode of Yurt Jurt, host Diana Kudaibergen sits down with Asem Zhapisheva, journalist, activist, and a founding member of the civic movement Oyan, Qazaqstan (“Wake Up, Kazakhstan”). Together, they explore the themes of Diana’s book The Kazakh Spring and reflect on the demands of young Kazakhs for political change, transparency, and accountability.
The conversation dives deep into the need for institutional transformation in Kazakhstan, the evolving role of new political actors, and how shifts in leadership affect the narratives of reform and “New Kazakhstan.” Asem also unpacks the complex dependencies of Central Asia on Russia and China, examining how this geopolitical reality fuels pressure on local politicians to silence activists and restrict civic space. They discuss how the war in Ukraine has sharpened debates across the region, with many wondering if the war’s outcome will profoundly reshape policy directions and political freedoms in Central Asia. This dialogue highlights the tension between entrenched systems of power and the rising voices of a younger generation determined to demand change, and the uncertainties of what lies ahead.
More content from this blog
- The War Comes Home: A Field Report on Domestic Violence, by Chichak Darfash – 28 May 2026
- Expropriation, Exploitation, and the Neoliberal Racial Order – 7 March 2019
- Racial Capitalism and the Campaign Against “Islamo-Gauchisme” in France, by Muriam Haleh Davis – 14 August 2018
- Anti-Imperialism, Solidarity, and the Question of Society, by Siyâvash Shahabi – 27 June 2026
- Report accuses Ecuador of ‘forced disappearances.’ It couldn’t come at a worse time for Noboa, by Joshua Collins – 24 September 2025