Nazarbayev and the Making of Kazakhstan: From Communism to Capitalism [Hardcover]

Jonathan Aitken (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 5, 2010

Jonathan Aitken skilfully analyses the country's achievements in all its complexity to explain Kazakhstan and Nazarbayev's emergence on the international stage. Kazakhstan is colossal in size, complicated in its history, colourful in its culture and is a nation state that most outsiders know little of. Much of the existing narrative revolves around the country's first president, Nursultan Nazarbayev. But his life can only be understood in the context of the land in which he was born, raised and became a leader. For centuries the tribes of Kazakhstan had been plundered and conquered by foreign invaders. The most ruthless of these were the 20th century leaders of the Soviet Union, but after its collapse it was Nazarbayev who emerged as the new President of the nation state. Jonathan Aitken's masterly book is a riveting account of how Kazakhstan has capitalised on its natural resources (including oil) to become one of the great economic success stories of the modern era. Nazarbayev himself is widely admired as a political leader and strategist, having overcome extraordinary crises including hyperinflation, food shortages and the emigration of two million people. However, his record on human rights is less than perfect and the independence of the judiciary and the press are questionable. Corruption is also widespread in Kazakh society. The obstacles faced in becoming a successful economy are described and examined honestly in this truly fascinating story.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Mention of author and book, The Observer. May 2009.

Article on book in Daily Telegraph, 17 June 2009.

Reuters, June 2009

Article in Observer Weekend, July 2009.

Article of the author in Observer Woman, July 2009

Interview in Fame & Fortune, Sunday Times.

'Interviews with key figures such as Gorbachev add oomph to the story. But what's really fascinating is learning why Nazarbayev led his nation away from Soviet-induced communities to oil-based capitalism, turning it into the most commercially-successful nation in Central Asia to emerge from the Bloc. 9/10' - Fife, Perth and Dundee Courier & Advertiser, South Wales Evening Post (Swansea), Leicester Mercury, East Anglian Daily Times, Sunderland Echo, Edinburgh Evening News, Sunday Sun (Newcastle) and Scotsman

'[Aitken] paints a fascinating portrait of Kazakhstan's remarkable president ... he puts Kazakhstan where it firmly belongs - near the top of any intensive diplomatic reading list for the 21st century.' - The Observer

'Extraordinary story ... it's a rattling good read.' - BBC Radio 4

Mentioned in Evening Standard Magazine, August 2009.

'Aitken [is] a capable and articulate biographer' - Asian Affairs

About the Author

Jonathan Aitken, a former MP and cabinet minister, is the author of nine books including his award-winning biography of President Richard Nixon. His recent titles published by Continuum include Pride and Perjury, Psalms for People under Pressure, Prayers for People under Pressure, Charles W. Colson: A Life Redeemed and Heroes and Contemporaries.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Continuum Pub Group (April 5, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1441153810
• ISBN-13: 978-1441153814
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #722,951 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jonathan Aitken is a well-known British author and former politician. He was a Member of Parliament for twenty-three years, serving in the Cabinet as Chief Secretary to the Treasury and also as Minister of State for Defense. His political career ended when he pleaded guilty to charges of perjury as a result of having told a lie on oath in a civil libel lawsuit. During an eighteen-month prison stay, he converted to Christ. He is president of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, a director of Prison Fellowship International, and executive director of The Trinity Forum in Europe. He is the author of twelve books, including the award-winning Nixon: A Life and Charles W. Colson: A Life Redeemed.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nazarbayev: "A Benevolent Form of Autocracy" for Kazakhstan, August 15, 2010

By 

Alexander M. Moir "Lt. Moir" (Huntington, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Nazarbayev and the Making of Kazakhstan: From Communism to Capitalism (Hardcover)

This is the first really credible biography of Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who has been at the former Soviet republic's helm since the 1980s. At 248 pages of text, the book provides a very well-written and informative account of the life of this controversial leader.

The author, Jonathan Aitken, is a former British Member of Parliament (who apparently spent some time in prison and was ousted from Parliament in disgrace). There is not much background either in the book or on the web about how this former MP came into the confidence of both Nazarbayev and, evidently, Gorbachev, but however he did so, it makes for a very good narrative, riddled with solid facts that support his claims.

As to those claims, it must be mentioned that Aitken's bio of the Kazakhstani leader is staunchly pro-Nazarbayev. I was shocked that a Westerner would take such a slant. Almost all public press on Nazarbayev in the West is overwhelmingly negative, fraught with complaints and murmurings about rigged elections, Duvalierian despotism, and comparisons with both Stalin and Islamic extremists. I expected to read a condemnation of the president, but what I had at the end of the book was a new sense of Nursultan Nazarbayev both as a leader and a man. How? Aitken is simply that convincing a writer. One might try to write even that much off to Aitken's having been "duped" by Nazarbayev and his press, but the solid statistics and flawless accounts of events would seem, in my opinion, to make the case in the Kazakh leader's favor. I believe that the reader will come away with a similar opinion on Nazarbayev. He is far from a democratic leader, but his "brand" of democracy may actually be evolving in conjunction with the winds of progress in Kazakhstan. I am not in any way making any excuses for totalitarianism; rather I believe that Aitken truly uncovered the greatness of Nazarbayev's character and achievements while still maintaining a wary stance.

A very well-written book, and probably the best biography of a post-Soviet Central Asian leader yet written. (Now if we could just get similar lives of Islom Karimov and Saparmurat Niyazov!)