Inequality is driving protests against an authoritarian system Peter Leonard
Almaty, the commercial capital of Kazakhstan, is the kind of mirage that oil-rich nations so often produce. It has all the trappings of comfort and consumer excess: swanky shopping malls, luxury car dealerships, high-end hotels.
This is the image of prosperity that the country’s rulers enjoy projecting. For decades, Kazakhs have been encouraged to take out expensive loans to buy flats, cars and even holidays they can barely afford.
Beyond the
