As Diaz said, almost everyone in Kazakhstan speaks Russian. Unlike in other post-Soviet states, where the use of Russian is often contentious, it was easy in Kazakhstan. During the two months I spent there, I never felt any pressure or need to learn Kazakh. Which raises the question: Why do so many Kazakhstani speak Russian?
Month: December 2024
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Titushky #4
Five minutes past seven. Dozens of protesters milled about in front of Parliament. Young people draped in Georgian flags huddled on benches looking at their phones. Circles of middle-aged adults talked while sipping hot liquid from paper cups. In a slow but continuous stream, people joined the protest, filling the available space.
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Russian vs American Cabinet Picks
Even here, where an election dispute is ongoing and protests are intensifying, we are inundated with the drama of Trump’s cabinet picks. Don’t get me wrong; I am not complaining. American policy has huge implications for the world, so the world pays attention. Moreover, it sparked this conversation.
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A Collection Of Quotes From Tulsi Gabbard and Nikolai Patrushev
Patrushev and Gabbard’s worldview in a nutshell: the US is bad. Their criticism of the US’s role in Ukraine, Syria, and Japan’s remilitarization is so similar it is uncanny. They blame the US for every revolution, conflict, and escalation. They seem to think no other people or country has autonomy, ambition, or impact.
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Winter Is Coming #3
Coffee in one hand, phone in the other, I settled in to read the news. Notifications and messages flooded my screen. A hot irritation crept up the back of my neck- I had missed something big. While I was watching reruns of random Thanksgiving episodes, police were trying to break up a protest with water cannons a few blocks away.