ABSTRACT
In the introduction, I stated that the main aim of this study was to investigate the ways in which the authoritarian regime in Kazakhstan (that came into existence with the collapse of the Soviet Union) maintained itself in power. The techniques of regime maintenance are scrutinized through the example of the Kazakh oil industry-regime relationship. It is argued here that the oil industry, which plays a critical role in the political and economic life of the country, is fertile ground for studying ‘the rules of the game’ in Kazakhstan. This book predominantly focuses on the ways in which the Kazakh regime has brought the oil industry under its control, and how it has managed to maintain its grip over it.
