I thought I would have a chance to add valuable information to Leila’s article on Neweurasia, Kazakhstan: Money, Kidnapping, Money, Power, Money…, when I heard that Rakhat Aliyev was being sent to Vienna as Ambassador to Austria and to head all Kazakhstan offices there. He has been there before, 5 years ago, and we will note that the OSCE is based in Vienna. Leila’s article is a fascinating read about a confusing set of events surrounding Nurbank, a bank widely believed to be connected to the Nazarbayev family, including the alleged kidnapping of first deputy chairman of the board–twice! He accused Rakhat Aliyev, the son-in-law of the President.

So now we know why Mr. Aliyev is leaving. On a second read of the article, I see that Leila did predict this:

Some people say it is possible that he will become an ambassador again, as it was after 2001, when he was sent to Austria for several years following similarly mysterious events involving, as some claim, his ambitions for power.

Aliyev, of course, calls the claims that he kidnapped anyone false and libelous.

It seems to me that Mr. Nazarbayev must be very tired of such things. Worrying about what his family is doing, what his allies and enemies are saying. I read once that the best path to promoting democracy in Central Asia is to strengthen the Parliament and other popularly-elected institutions. In fact, the presidents of the republics would be grateful to have a bit more democracy so that they do not have to constantly worry about balancing the teams and special interest groups that jockey for power. To the extent that all interest groups are dependent on the President for special favors and high positions, he is just as dependent on them since they ultimately make the country run. As talk of Parliamentary reform is already in the air, perhaps a few more bits of bad behavior on the part of the oligarchs will sway the President toward a stronger Parliament.