By Farkhad Sharip (6/13/2007 issue of the CACI Analyst)

The legal persecution of Rakhat Aliyev, the former Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Austria and husband of President Nazarbayev’s elder daughter Dariga Nazarbayeva, is among the most sensational events in post-independent Kazakhstan that have galvanized the public. The dirty linen of the Nazarbayev family, paradoxical as it may sound, turned out to be a powerful propaganda tool that boosted the democratic image of the ruling regime.

The stunning news that Rakhat Aliyev was on the list of wanted suspects came from Kazakhstan’s Interior Ministry on May 28.

By Sergey Medea (6/13/2007 issue of the CACI Analyst)

In recent years, migration from Tajikistan to Russia and the ensuing remittances have vastly grown and become accordingly significant in their economic impact. Currently, Tajikistan has one of the highest revenues worldwide from remittances, in relative terms: 20 to 50 percent of GDP, or approximately US$400 million to a billion. By and large, exporting labor at low prices has kept the country going – in the short term, such staggering remittances have predominantly positive effects on the country.

By Erica Marat (5/30/2007 issue of the CACI Analyst)

On May 21, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev amended the constitution by considerably reducing chances for other candidates to win presidency and allowing himself to remain president for life. Several days later Nazarbayev arrested his elder son-in-law Rakhat Aliyev and stripped him of his ambassador position and his businesses. On May 28, the Kazakh Ministry of Foreign affairs announced an international arrest of Aliyev through Interpol.