Once in Kazakhstan: The Snow Leopard Emerges

I will forever remain astonished at how easily the last true empire fell apart. For years considered a superpower, the Soviet Union collapsed in a matter of months and many nations were suddenly free of Soviet domination. While some of them, such as the Baltic states and those of Eastern Europe had experience at being a nation, that was not the case for Kazakhstan. It was literally a brand new nation and it faced many problems.
Among other problems, there was no true legal system, a legacy of economic control from Moscow, and the nationalities question. In his ruthless way, Stalin controlled ethnic tensions by killing and deporting as many as necessary to "solve" the problem. As a consequence of this and some natural movement, there were large numbers of Germans, Russians and Asians in Kazakhstan when it became independent.
Rosten went to Kazakhstan shortly after it became independent in 1991 as a Fulbright Lecturer with expertise in legal issues. His account of how difficult it was for Kazakhstan to adjust to independence is a fascinating but fairly typical story. The theory of law is one thing, the practice in a nation with no tradition and struggling to survive is completely different. The Kazakhs are in fact a minority group in the nation, being roughly 45% of the people. However, they are trying to gain political power commensurate with being a majority. The ethnic Germans are fleeing in droves, taking whatever they can, climbing on the planes and taking a one-way trip to the newly unified German nation. Ethnic Russians are struggling to remain a force, although they understand that they cannot remain dominant.
Rosten travels extensively through the country, and air travel is problematic. A plane will take off only when fuel is available, so the passengers are forced to wait in the terminal until the fuel arrives. Simple amenities such as hot water, heat in your rooms and some basic foods are always in short supply. Several times he comments on how it was a good thing so many people showed up, as they needed the extra warmth in the room. However, alcoholic beverages are never in short supply, drinking seems to be the major form of recreation.
He also describes the elections that take place while he was there. None of the candidates knows how to or can afford to campaign, so very little is known about the candidates. Most people don't vote and many who do vote along ethnic lines based on the name of the candidate. Quite naturally, political power stays in the hands of the former communists who simply changed the name of their party with little change in their methods.
While this is a travel log, it is more a set of observations on how a nation coped when it suddenly came into existence. It will take generations for the legacy of the Communist occupation of Kazakhstan to be removed and this book is a chronicle of some of the first, tentative steps in that direction.

For a reasonably informed American, the name "Kazakhstan" brings to mind certain facts: former Soviet republic; large Caspian oil fields; a hyphenated capital city (Alma-Ata). Facts, but no images. Let Keith Rosten's book, "Once in Kazakhstan", provide the missing images.

In this collection of short, first-person vignettes, Mr. Rosten introduces us to the friendly and generous Kazakhstanis, takes us to Kazakhstan's cities and countryside, and tells the gripping tale of a post-Soviet nation launching its own currency and attempting its first democratic election.

The charm of "Once in Kazakhstan" lies in the author's good-natured reactons to a very alien environment: in one case, he sizes up a trade fair with, "Yes, yurts and Barbie dolls -- this is quite a place."

By setting small day-to-day observations against a larger historical backdrop, Mr. Rosten brings to life a far-away land that most of us will never visit. This makes "Once in Kazakhstan" a must-read for those who want more than just the facts.