AHC: Kazahkstani Relevance (Kazakh can into BRICS?)

Tom Colton · Nov 28, 2014

The Kazakh SSR was the second-largest and fourth most populous of the SSRs, yet the modern Kazakh state mostly only got in the news when Borat came about.

So, with a PoD of after the October Revolution, have Kazakhstan wind up being about as relevant as the BRICS (bonus points if it ends up joining them and creating the BRICKS.)

oshron · Nov 28, 2014

make Kazakhstan the premier space power of (Eur)Asia. for some OTL precedent, the Baikonur Cosmodrome is located in Kazakhstan. another possibility would be to have a Kazakh premier of teh Soviet Union

Tom Colton · Nov 28, 2014

oshron said:
another possibility would be to have a Kazakh premier of teh Soviet Union

Would Dinmukhamed Konayev stand any chance? He was the only Kazakh to be a full member of the Politburo, and was a Brezhnev loyalist.

oshron · Nov 28, 2014

Tom Colton said:
Would Dinmukhamed Konayev stand any chance? He was the only Kazakh to be a full member of the Politburo, and was a Brezhnev loyalist.

i wouldn't know; Soviet history isn't my strong suit, but he'd probably be the best option

kwonphilip · Nov 28, 2014

Tom Colton said:
The Kazakh SSR was the second-largest and fourth most populous of the SSRs, yet the modern Kazakh state mostly only got in the news when Borat came about.

So, with a PoD of after the October Revolution, have Kazakhstan wind up being about as relevant as the BRICS (bonus points if it ends up joining them and creating the BRICKS.)

K will always be Korea

But uh, Kazakhstan seems too small to join the BRICS population wise. Even South Africa was only yo make it more "Global" and get a foothold in Africa (I would personally have gone with Nigeria but then BRICN doesn't sound as good). Kazakhstan doesn't even have that, being next to Russia and China, while also close to India. Another issue seems to be that it isn't as open or cosmopolitan in trade, though that is already changing.

I don't think it is possible with such a POD for Kazakhstan to become as relevant as the BRICS, a group of five nations each larger than Kazakhstan, or even join it with even the four original nations.

oshron · Nov 28, 2014

kwonphilip said:
(I would personally have gone with Nigeria but then BRICN doesn't sound as good).

what about BRINC?

Dathi THorfinnsson · Nov 28, 2014

oshron said:
what about BRINC?

Well, they might then be on the BRINC of disaster, right?

Jeb Bush · Nov 28, 2014

Dathi THorfinnsson said:
Well, they might then be on the BRINC of disaster, right?

Oh you

oreocruncher · Nov 28, 2014

Just have Goldman Sachs regard Kazakhstan as a upcoming economic player...BRICS started as a corporate classification...

RousseauX · Nov 29, 2014

oshron said:
make Kazakhstan the premier space power of (Eur)Asia. for some OTL precedent, the Baikonur Cosmodrome is located in Kazakhstan. another possibility would be to have a Kazakh premier of teh Soviet Union

How is that going to help?

The USSR was not good at developing countries past the first couple round of industrialization. Russia's economic power today relies on oil exports as oppose to any Soviet era development program so unless Kazakhstan has as much oil as Russia it's not going to help.