Possibility of Rakhat Aliyev's Extradition

VIENNA, Austria, Jun. 2, 2007 (AP) The son-in-law of Kazakhstan's autocratic president has appealed to Austrian authorities not to extradite him to his homeland to face kidnapping charges, a magazine reported Saturday. Read the rest of the story

From Steve: The key question in the blockbuster news in Kazakhstan over the last several weeks is what pushed President Nursultan Nazarbayev to take such extreme measures: freeing himself to be president for life, and ordering the arrest of his son-in-law?

Both steps seriously diverge from Nazarbayev's long-crafted image as a global-level statesman. The events closely track his 2001 crackdown against both son-in-law Rakhat Aliyev and the country's young liberals; at that time Nazarbayev was convinced that Aliyev had launched a grave political plot against him.

It seems probable that this is the case now as well -- Nazarbayev became persuaded that Aliyev was mounting a worrisome challenge to his leadership, and decided to do away with his elder daughter's nettlesome husband once and for all.

Whatever the case, Nazarbayev's actions have required him to publicly bare his fangs, something he has never done in his 17 years of leadership. The events ask for a strong Western reconsideration of its foreign policy framework toward this oil-rich state.