Central asia is extemely isolated due to their geoghraphy and when the ussr fell the nations that became independent were seized by authoritarian forces and they might aswell not exist
seized by authoritarian forces and they might aswell not exist
That's a pretty dismissive thought about a region with 72 million people and painting everyone with a broad brush.
The authoritarian forces bit is true for perhaps Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Kyrgyzstan started out similarly, but has had constant power struggles and street uprisings over the last 15 years. Tajikistan had a civil war, a spillover from the Afghan war (because more Tajiks live in Afghanistan than Tajikistan), sending refugees all over, and ending in an uneasy settlement. Kazakhstan, with almost half the population of Uzbekistan, has twice the economic power thanks to enormous oil and gas reserves, which makes it as rich as (and sometimes richer) than Russia per capita - which might seem like nothing to Western audiences, but still makes it a middle-income European country with international significance. Kazakhstan also has complicated politics thanks to a mixed population of Kazakhs and Slavs. The whole region suffers from the authoritarians vs. Islamists dynamic, but it's on a tiny scale compared to the Middle East - and on the whole has a healthier state of religion than, say, France.
...Maybe you were making a joke? Anyway, "Kazakhstan" only being a joke to Western audiences (with Asian Kazakhs being played by European Romanians to boot) is Western arrogance defined. Sacha Baron Cohen is funny and plays great jokes at Americans' expense, but the fact that the feelings of non-Westerners are an afterthought to him shows through.
Edit: One more thought - there's this idea that newly independent Soviet republics that weren't countries before are somehow "fake" countries. The Soviet Union never should have fallen, but all the republics that made it up were very real - during its existence, before, and since.
i literally thought it was a fake country when i first saw the movie as a teen so he could have for sure
Central asia is extemely isolated due to their geoghraphy and when the ussr fell the nations that became independent were seized by authoritarian forces and they might aswell not exist
Ah yes, typical burger geography: "I never hear about this country so it might as well not exist".
Yeah i tought my post was about that
europe might as well not exist
(please Allah)
That's a pretty dismissive thought about a region with 72 million people and painting everyone with a broad brush.
The authoritarian forces bit is true for perhaps Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Kyrgyzstan started out similarly, but has had constant power struggles and street uprisings over the last 15 years. Tajikistan had a civil war, a spillover from the Afghan war (because more Tajiks live in Afghanistan than Tajikistan), sending refugees all over, and ending in an uneasy settlement. Kazakhstan, with almost half the population of Uzbekistan, has twice the economic power thanks to enormous oil and gas reserves, which makes it as rich as (and sometimes richer) than Russia per capita - which might seem like nothing to Western audiences, but still makes it a middle-income European country with international significance. Kazakhstan also has complicated politics thanks to a mixed population of Kazakhs and Slavs. The whole region suffers from the authoritarians vs. Islamists dynamic, but it's on a tiny scale compared to the Middle East - and on the whole has a healthier state of religion than, say, France.
...Maybe you were making a joke? Anyway, "Kazakhstan" only being a joke to Western audiences (with Asian Kazakhs being played by European Romanians to boot) is Western arrogance defined. Sacha Baron Cohen is funny and plays great jokes at Americans' expense, but the fact that the feelings of non-Westerners are an afterthought to him shows through.
Edit: One more thought - there's this idea that newly independent Soviet republics that weren't countries before are somehow "fake" countries. The Soviet Union never should have fallen, but all the republics that made it up were very real - during its existence, before, and since.