The crisis in Kazakhstan: clan showdowns and the role of China

The Central Asian Republic is in a fever. Nursultan Nazarbayev and his "old guard" are leaving the political proscenium, and Kasym-Zhomart Tokayev and his team ascend to the pinnacle of power. But they face serious existential challenges. It is not yet clear where the scales will swing: whether Tokayev’s regime will survive or collapse, plunging Kazakhstan into chaos. So: what is the wrong side of the inter-factional struggle in Kazakh society? How does China see the crisis? Sic transit gloria mundi - ‘this is how worldly fame goes away’ As soon as the situation began to heat up, like sweet…