Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan : migration, language politics and their relations with Russia

This report compares and contrasts Uzbekistan's and Kazakhstan's relations with Russia and how domestic politics influences those relations. This report will analyze how these relations are conducted in three themes: language policy, migrant labor from these countries to Russia, and the international relations of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan vis-à-vis Russia. The first chapter provides an overview of the Soviet nationalities policy. First, the chapter will summarize the ethnogenesis of the Uzbeks and the Kazakhs. Second, it will explore Kazakh and Uzbek nationalist movements that were active in Central Asia before the formation of the Soviet Union. Finally, the chapter will explore process of the formation of the Soviet republics of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The second chapter is concerned with the language policies of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The chapter will show how the Soviet authorities promoted the use of the Uzbek and Kazakh languages. It will show how codification, standardization and orthographic reforms were not only components of Soviet language policy, but also language of polices of these modern, independent Central Asian states. The third chapter explores the international relations of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan in vis-à-vis Russia. Using a theoretical framework, It will compare and contrast the approaches of the governments of these states towards Russia and how domestic policies concerning national security are connected with foreign policy. The fourth and final chapter examines labor migration from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan to Russia. Using data from the Russian government, World Bank and other organization, It will look at how labor migrants from these countries contribute to their respective economies though remittances. Additionally, this chapter will examine how the government of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan view migrant labor originating from their respective countries.