Anyone wandering the sparkling boulevards of Norsultan, the grandiose capital of Kazakhstan, may think, at least in the summer months, that it is in Dubai or Qatar.
The huge skyscrapers and public buildings, along with the manicured gardens, transmit power and economic prosperity.
But a brief stroll in the suburbs of the new capital, which became the seat of power only in the 2000s, reveals a more complex reality.
The economic prosperity that the oil industry has brought to the vast, but sparsely populated, Central Asian country is shared by eye-popping inequality.
Bumped cars, antique buses and neglected apartment buildings are the reality for most of the country’s residents, who are forced to look at the residential towers and luxury vehicles of the elite with bald eyes.
The government in Kazakhstan has done much in recent years to also share with the masses the abundance generated by the oil and gas industry, but for many in the country, the rise in the cost of living has been too great.
For those who find it difficult to heat their homes and buy groceries, the country's many economic achievements in recent years are worth as much as a clove of garlic.
Kazakhstan under the rule of Presidents Tukayev and Nazarbayev was characterized by authoritarian rule, which found it difficult to allow a free and open debate on the future of the country, and anger among the young population was built like steam, which erupted yesterday.
Neta Bar in the city of Norsultan, the capital of Kazakhstan,
Along with the rapid occurrences on the ground, it is important to turn our attention to Moscow, where the fate of the Kazakh regime may be determined.
Putin has already offered "non-military assistance" to the Kazakh leadership to end the uprising.
The possibility that Russia will mobilize to "protect the Russian minority," as it did in other countries in the post-Soviet space, certainly exists.
The complexity of Kazakhstan, a country with a tribal past and a Muslim population, could further complicate the emerging crisis, which began with outrage over fuel prices and could end in civil war.
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