Dark Shadows is a compelling portrait of Kazakhstan, a country that is little known in the West. Strategically located in the heart of Central Asia, sandwiched between Vladimir Putin's Russia, its former colonial ruler, and Xi Jinping's China, this vast oil-rich state is carving out its place in the world as it contends with its own complex past and present. Journalist Joanna Lillis paints a vibrant picture of this emerging nation through vivid reportage based on 17 years of on-the-ground coverage, and travels across the length and breadth of this enigmatic country that lies along the ancient Silk Road and at the geopolitical and cultural crossroads where East meets West.Featuring tales of murder and abduction, intrigue and betrayal, extortion and corruption, this book explores how a president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, transformed himself into a potentate and the economically-struggling state he inherited at the fall of the USSR into a swaggering 21st-century monocracy. A colourful cast of characters brings the politics to life: from strutting oligarchs to sleeping villagers, from principled politicians to striking oilmen, from crusading journalists to courageous campaigners. This new edition features two additional chapters covering the aftermath of Nazarbayev's fall from power in 2019; the Chinese government's repressions against the Kazakhs of Xinjiang as part of its crackdown on Muslim minorities; and an Afterword reflecting on the tumultuous events of January 2022 in Almaty.Traversing dust-blown deserts and majestic mountains, taking in glitzy cities and dystopian landscapes, Dark Shadows conjures up Kazakhstan as a living, breathing place, full of extraordinary people living extraordinary lives.

Features two new additional chapters covering events since 2019, including the aftermath of Nazarbayev's fall from power, the Chinese government's crackdown on Muslim minorities, and an Afterword reflecting on the tumultuous events of January 2022 in Almaty.

Map of KazakhstanKazakhstan historical timelineNote on transliteration and namesIntroductionI. The Making of a Potentate1 Arise, Kazakhstan2 A Family Affair3 Don't Mess With the Boss4 Fault Lines in the Feel-Good Factor5 Publish and Be Damned6 Trials and Tribulations7 Back to the USSR8 Stop the Presses9 Bread and Circuses10 End of an EraII. Identity Crisis11 Kingdom of the Kazakhs12 Mother Russia13 Death to the Past14 The Gulag Archipelago15 Exile of the Innocents16 Sparks of Tension17 December of Discontent18 Lure of the Land19 Homeward Bound20 Behind the Red WallIII. Stories from the Steppe21 Keeping the Faith22 Opium of the People23 Culture Wars24 The Curse of Corruption25 The Shrinking Sea26 The Wasteland27 The Ranch28 The Slumbering Steppe29 The Collective FarmNotesBibliographyAcknowledgementsIndex