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 Global Right Ascendance Will Leave Israel in the Wreckage, by David Schraub – 10 April 2025
- Felix Pal, Christophe Jaffrelot & Tanika Sarkar on the RSS’s Hidden Network – 7 January 2026
- ‘Operation 1027’: The End of the Beginning of Myanmar’s Spring Revolution, by Htet Min Lwin and Thiha Wint Aung – 24 November 2023
- The Sudanese Catastrophe. Interview with Joshua Craze – 25 February 2026
- Debunking Soviet Myths Part 1: “The Soviet Union Was Anti-Racist”, by radical dumpling – 13 June 2026