China & Russia: Is Kazakhstan playing both sides? | Mapped Out

Kazakhstan is stuck between two superpower neighbors — Russia and China. Now it is trying to use its geography to its advantage. Kazakhstan has a long history of being ruled from Moscow, both during the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. During Soviet times, it was a test site for nuclear weapons and the launchpad for the first human in space: Yuri Gagarin launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Ever since Kazakh independence, the Central Asian country has kept close ties with Russia. Russia is its top trade partner, and has been a political and security backer. But Kazakhstan is also pushin…

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