Kazakh Government Reshuffle Aims for Balance and Reform

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev announced a large-scale government reshuffle Aug. 6, citing the need to increase the government's efficiency. Kazakhstan is confronting a notable economic slowdown and its leadership is in the process of planning for Nazarbayev to step down. The reorganization offers some interesting clues about shifting power balances among Kazakhstan's elite and about Kazakhstan's relationship with Russia.