Although Nazarbayev is credited with maintaining domestic ethnic stability after the breakup of the Soviet Union, he has "allowed an inner circle of family members, friends, and business associates to exert formal and informal influence over vital economic resources and political positions," (Freedom House).
In the most recent presidential election in 2005, Nazarbayev obtained an unbelievable 90% of the vote. Presidential elections in Kazakhstan can generally be described as shams and have been criticized "by all major international organizations as falling short of international standards," (Freedom House). For example, in 1999 Nazarbaev barred his opponent from running based "on a technicality," (BBC). The current Kazak parliament does not include a single member from opposition parties (Freedom House). Currently, all parties represented in the Kazak parliament are supportive of Nazarbaev.
In response to accusations that he and his Otan party have been suppressing political dissent, Nazarbayev claims that he supports a slow transition to democracy because "stability could be at risk if change is too swift." The president went so far as to change the constitution of Kazakhstan so that "only he can initiate constitutional amendments, appoint and dismiss the government, dissolve Parliament, call referenda at his discretion, and appoint administrative heads of regions and cities," (CIA). Endowing his office with unchecked power, Nazarbaev has passed legislation that "grants him powers for life" even after he leaves office," (BBC). The CIA World Factbook describes the government of the Republic of Kazakhstan as possessing "authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch."
The promise of democracy in Kazakhstan will remain unfulfilled under these legislative conditions. The "growing consolidation of the authoritarian regime under Nazarbaev's patronage" has aroused international consternation and concern (Freedom House). Concurrent with Nazarbaev's corrupt regime, the Kazak head of state has suppressed press freedoms. Although the Kazak Constitution advocates freedom of the press, any published criticism of Nazarbaev is classified as a criminal offence (BBC). The Kazak government controls all major media in the nation. Deft control of the media disallows open political discourse.
Kazakhstan ranks low on worldwide scales that measure quality of life. For example, The Economist offers composite index including material...
Healing and Belief Russians base much of their healing system around beneficial herbs and folk remedies. This harkens to feudal eras when professional medical service was unavailable, but was reinforced in Soviet times when doctors were poorly equipped. Russians believe in preventative medicine, so the consumption of certain foods is thought to have preventative effects. Another traditional Russian healing practice is called bonki, and consists of glass cups that are pressed against
Another important factor is that the modern Russian family structure also reflects the stress of the society as a whole. "Family stress is related to the local variant of the widespread crisis in the Russian economy (Wolfe and Vitebsky, 2002, p. 73) This leads to the question of how social roles are defined. Social roles are linked to the authority structure in the family and are usually hierarchical and patriarchal.
Aging and Russian Culture In order to understand and relate to an older Russian in the context of providing psychological care, it is first important to understand the context of Russian society. Russian society has been marked by a transition in recent years that has reflected the rejection of communist ideology and all accompanying notions of collectivism. In many respects, this reactionary mentality has resulted in a breakdown in traditional values.
Marketing Russian culture compared to the culture found in Brazil is as different as night and day, yet the business environment in both countries offers unique opportunities for expansion and marketing for aggressive companies. Accordingly, there are risks and disadvantages to establishing a new business in both countries, but there are also advantages and benefits. Some of the advantages in each market include the fact that Russia is likely to present
Russian Tobacco Health Promotion Plan: Reducing Tobacco Use Amongst Members of the Russian-American Culture Russian Cultural Synopsis There are several unique or otherwise noteworthy practices in the Russian culture that could have an impact on areas of health. Consumption practices tend towards the extreme, with food and drink supplied amply for guests and families alike, resources permitting, and with the extending of hospitality a common and expected practice in the culture (Ries, 2012).
Russian Orthodox Religion The Russian Orthodox Church has been through many evolutions and challenges along the way to being more than a thousand years old. The Church originally emerged from a pagan society and was greatly influenced by existing Christian beliefs from other regions. This paper reviews the changes that the Church has gone through -- including the attacks on its beliefs and buildings and its monasteries by the Bolsheviks, who
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