Noémi Kiss

The significance of the Caucasus and Central Asia in the world economy and politics has been growing steadily, and even the tourist industry has recently discovered these places as vacation destinations. Kazakhstan stands out in the region and attracts considerable media attention through its sheer size and many natural resources, and also as it is one of the model states of modern autocracy. However, reports largely focus on political or economic issues, and even where the focus is elsewhere, articles often fall into exoticism and mockery. Journalism frequently relies on secondary sources without any first-hand knowledge of the country, and hardly any reports extend investigation beyond the urban centers.