Martha Brill Olcott
Kazakhstan: Unfulfilled Promise? (Revised Edition)
Olcott draws on her vast knowledge of Kazakhstan to provide an important contribution to understanding the current status of this country, as well as the perils of state building and the dangers these pose for regional and global security.
Source: Revised Edition

In this revised edition Kazakhstan: Unfulfilled Promise? Martha Brill Olcott, an internationally respected expert on Central Asia, details the first decades of Kazakhstan’s existence in the context of its political and historical legacy, its geography, and its economic and social development. In a new chapter, Olcott reevaluates whether Kazakhstan is closer to realizing its economic and political potential and charting the expansion of its international role. Olcott draws on her vast knowledge of Kazakhstan to provide an important contribution to understanding the current status of this country, as well as more broadly, the perils of state building and the dangers these pose for
regional and global security.
Advance Praise
“Kazakhstan: Unfulfilled Promise reaffirms Olcott as the pre-eminent American scholar of Kazakhstan.”
— Eric Sievers, Harvard University
“Olcott’s expert knowledge combined with her accessible writing style has produced a book that not only is essential for those experts working on this country but should also prove popular with many who have a general interest in the area.”
—John Glenn, University of Southampton, UK
“Kazakhstan: Unfulfilled Promise is a bible for understanding the country.”
— William Courtney, former U.S. ambassador to Kazakhstan and Georgia
About the Author
Former Senior Associate, Russia and Eurasia Program and, Co-director, al-Farabi Carnegie Program on Central Asia
Olcott is professor emerita at Colgate University, having taught political science there from 1974 to 2002. Prior to her work at the endowment, Olcott served as a special consultant to former secretary of state Lawrence Eagleburger.
- After Crimea: Will Kazakhstan be Next in Putin’s Reintegration Project?In The Media
- China’s Unmatched Influence in Central AsiaArticle
Martha Brill Olcott
Recent Work
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
More Work from Carnegie China
- Carnegie China Scholars on the Biden-Xi MeetingCommentary
Carnegie China scholars share their assessment of the Biden-Xi meeting and its implications for U.S.-China relations going forward.
- +1
Paul Haenle, Xue Gong, Ngeow Chow Bing, …
- Biden and Xi Meet at APECCommentary
Southeast Asian capitals would prefer that the U.S. and PRC manage their relationship, if not get along.
Paul Haenle, Chong Ja Ian
- Amid Contending Narratives, A Read on U.S. and PRC Messaging in SingaporeArticle
As the world undergoes a new round of fragmentation and major power rivalry that includes the advancing of divergent visions of global order, Singapore is discovering that its interests are increasingly being pulled in different directions.
Chong Ja Ian
- Vietnam’s Response to China’s Global Security InitiativeCommentary
There is a certain level of restraint, but there is also a lingering distrust.
Paul Haenle, Huong Le Thu
- Missile Defense and the Strategic Relationship among the United States, Russia, and ChinaCommentary
China views U.S. missile defense as posing a greater potential threat to China’s nuclear deterrent than other U.S. military capabilities.
Tong Zhao, Dmitry Stefanovich