Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan has remained close to Russia since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. However, the Soviets left a legacy of serious environmental problems, including nuclear and toxic waste, widespread industrial pollution, a shrinking Aral Sea, and an expanding desert. The people of Kazakhstan face other challenges as well: The government is nominally democratic, but elections are widely believed to be rigged in favor of the party in power. While a few people have become extremely wealthy through government corruption, common citizens have seen little material improvement in their lives since independence.