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Corruption Concerns Plague Kazakstan's Rise
DEVELOPMENTS On January 1, 2010, Kazakhstan assumed the chairmanship of the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), amid unusual controversy. Kazakhstan succeeded Greece in the rotating chairmanship of the 56-country body, which is the world’s largest security-oriented intergovernmental organization. Formed in the Cold War to diffuse East-West tensions, the forum focuses on arms control, free and fair elections, and human rights issues. The OSCE is one of the preeminent forums for Western governments to engage with Russia and former Soviet republics, such as Kazakhstan on the issues of human rights, democracy and clean government. Many observers therefore find Kazakhstan's leadership problematic given its well-documented history of corruption and human rights abuses.