Transatlantic Politics

If Ceausescu would have lived and hit oil, Bucharest would have probably looked like Astana: an alien mix between Soviet-style and modernist buildings, such as the Pyramid of Peace and Accord - designed by sir Norman Foster. The thing cost 50 million euros and is only one of three different projects bearing the signature of the famous architect.

Astana reflects perfectly the personality cult of president Nursultan Nazarbaev, who just celebrated 20 years of non-interrupted reign in Kazakhstan. He’s the only USSR leader to have stayed in power until now.

Media freedom? Opposition rallies? Internet freedom? Forget about it.. And by all means, don’t ever mention Borat..it’s a national offence.

Yet everybody wants to be friends with the oil-rich country bordering Russia and China and almost as big as whole Western Europe. NATO needs its cooperation for the war in Afghanistan, the EU wants some of its lavish energy ressources. But so do Russia and China, and Nazarbaev has been around long enough to know how to play this game and let everyone believe he is their friend.

Here is how the Norman Foster pyramid looks like from the inside.

And watch some more Kazakh talent  thrown for NATO guests invited to Astana for a security forum with partner countries:

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