Superpowers and regional powers' soft power in Kazakhstan

Frontiers in Political Science, 2025

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DOI 10.3389/fpos.2025.1544208
Data confidence 70 medium
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Abstract

Since gaining its independence in 1991, Kazakhstan has sought to balance its foreign policy toward those of the superpowers and regional powers. This study conducts a literature review and analyses the soft power strategies of superpowers and regional powers toward Kazakhstan, and the country's endeavors to avoid being dominated by a single country to maintain a balanced relationship with all the great powers. The data is collected through qualitative interviews with Kazakhstan officials who have lower- and middle-level executive experience in security organizations. Overall, pragmatic relations with all foreign actors are deeply engrained in the mindset of Kazakhstan's middle-management officials, which indicates the development of balanced reports for higher decision-makers, leading to balanced relations with other powers.