Abstract:
This paper sought to delineate how English media frame Kazakhstan. We employed co-occurrence
network and sentiment analysis across 130 newspaper pieces published in 2022 and 2023. The results showed
that the news in the UK and Qatar often associated Kazakhstan with Russia and China, and also referred to it
as a Muslim country, which until the events of January 2022 was considered a peaceful and quiet country.
Among the prevailing terms, there were “Kazakhstan,” “country,” “Tokayev,” “Russia,” and “protest”.
Kazakhstan was represented as a country ruled by an influential leader (Tokayev), maintaining diplomatic
relations with countries in Europe and Asia. Kazakhstan’s image suffered due to the violent crackdown on
protests during the January events and accusations of supporting Russia to circumvent sanctions, which the
government denies. However, the January events awakened a wave of foreign media interest in Kazakhstan,
which gradually subsided over time. The sentiment analysis unearthed that the peak of positive sentiment
coincided with events such as scientific achievements, cultural successes and progressive changes, while the
decline was characterized by coverage of problems within the country facing serious challenges, including
worker safety issues, political suppression, economic instability and questions about the legitimacy of elections.
Resultantly, a rather ambivalent portrayal emerged.
