17. Kazakhstan’s stand on Middle East Peace Process

Kazakhstan is highly interested in establishing lasting peace and stability in the Middle East that would produce huge amount of material and intellectual resources of countries of the region for a peaceful and creative work and mutually beneficial regional cooperation.

We support maximum use of all negotiation potential between Palestinians and Israelis to resolve existing problems. The ultimate goal of efforts of all parties involved should be restoration and promotion of peace process in all its directions in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions No. 242 and No. 338, the Madrid principles and the formula "the land in exchange for peace", fulfillment by all participants of the Middle East conflict the commitments stipulated by the peace settlement "Road map" plan.

Kazakhstan supports the legitimate right of the Palestinian people for self-determination, and therefore stands for a fair solution of the problem of Palestinian refugees, creation of an independent State of Palestine and will not accept violent change of the demographic structure of the occupied Palestinian territories.

At the same time, Kazakhstan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and, in this regard, supports the aspiration of Israel to live in security. Terrorist and extremist attacks bring to naught positive results achieved during a long-term Israeli and Palestinian negotiations. At the same time, struggle against terrorist groups should not lead to victims and suffering of the Palestinian peaceful population.

e position concerning the status of Jerusalem stipulates the solution of this issue according to well-known United Nations resolutions, instead of its unilateral legal status change. At the same time, taking into account sensitivity of the problem both for Israel, and its Arabian counterparts, Kazakhstan will respect any resolution of this problem, with no less respect to other key aspects of the Middle East conflict in a way that decisions will be reached as a result of peace talks.

Kazakhstan is also committed to revival of the talks on the Syrian-Israeli issue and supports return of the occupied Golan Heights to Syria.

In general, Kazakhstan hopes that efforts of co-sponsors of the peace process, international and regional organizations as well as good will of negotiation process participants will lead to achievement of lasting and fair peace in the Middle East.

18. Illustrations by steve mcafee

Globalization has bound people, countries, and markets closer than ever, rendering national borders relics of a bygone era—or so we’re told. But a close look at the data reveals a world that’s just a fraction as integrated as the one we thought we knew. In fact, more than 90 percent of all phone calls, Web traffic, and investment is local. What’s more, even this small level of globalization could still slip away.

Ideas will spread faster, leaping borders. Poor countries will have immediate access to information that was once restricted to the industrial world and traveled only slowly, if at all, beyond it. Entire electorates will learn things that once only a few bureaucrats knew. Small companies will offer services that previously only giants could provide. In all these ways, the communications revolution is profoundly democratic and liberating, leveling the imbalance between large and small, rich and poor.” The global vision that Frances Cairncross predicted in her Death of Distance appears to be upon us. We seem to live in a world that is no longer a collection of isolated, “local” nations, effectively separated by high tariff walls, poor communications networks, and mutual suspicion. It’s a world that, if you believe the most prominent proponents of globalization, is increasingly wired, informed, and, well, “flat.”

It’s an attractive idea. And if publishing trends are any indication, globalization is more than just a powerful economic and political transformation; it’s a booming cottage industry. According to the U.S. Library of Congress’s catalog, in the 1990s, about 500 books were published on globalization. Between 2000 and 2004, there were more than 4,000. In fact, between the mid-1990s and 2003, the rate of increase in globalization-related titles more than doubled every 18 months.

Amid all this clutter, several books on the subject have managed to attract significant attention. During a recent TV interview, the first question I was asked—quite earnestly—was why I still thought the world was round. The interviewer was referring of course to the thesis of New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman’s bestselling book The World Is Flat. Friedman asserts that 10 forces—most of which enable connectivity and collaboration at a distance—are “flattening” the Earth and leveling a playing field of global competitiveness, the likes of which the world has never before seen.

It sounds compelling enough. But Friedman’s assertions are simply the latest in a series of exaggerated visions that also include the “end of history” and the “convergence of tastes.” Some writers in this vein view globalization as a good thing—an escape from the ancient tribal rifts that have divided humans, or an opportunity to sell the same thing to everyone on Earth. Others lament its cancerous spread, a process at the end of which everyone will be eating the same fast food. Their arguments are mostly characterized by emotional rather than cerebral appeals, a reliance on prophecy, semiotic arousal (that is, treating everything as a sign), a focus on technology as the driver of change, an emphasis on education that creates “new” people, and perhaps above all, a clamor for attention. But they all have one thing in common: They’re wrong.

In truth, the world is not nearly as connected as these writers would have us believe. Despite talk of a new, wired world where information, ideas, money, and people can move around the planet faster than ever before, just a fraction of what we consider globalization actually exists. The portrait that emerges from a hard look at the way companies, people, and states interact is a world that’s only beginning to realize the potential of true global integration. And what these trend’s backers won’t tell you is that globalization’s future is more fragile than you know.

Pankaj Ghemawat is the Anselmo Rubiralta professor of global strategy at IESE Business School and the Jaime and Josefina Chua Tiampo professor of business administration at Harvard Business School. His new book is Redefining Global Strategy (Boston: Harvard Business School Press, September 2007).

19. OIC

Kazakhstan became a member of the Organization of Islamic Conference in 1995. Cooperation with the Islamic world is one of the priorities of Kazakhstan’s foreign policy. Our country is considered by the Islamic World as the integral part of the Muslim community.

Since entering the OIC, Kazakhstan has gradually developed its interaction with the General Secretariat, subsidiary bodies and institutes of the Organization.

Kazakh delegations have participated in the biggest OIC events such as Summits (8th OIC Summit in December 1997 in Tehran, 9th OIC Summit in November 2000 in Doha, 10th OIC Summit in October 2003 in Putradjaya), Islamic Conferences of Foreign Ministers (since 24th ICFM in December1996 in Jakarta, until 33rd ICFM in June 2006 in Baku) as well as Annual Coordination Meetings of Foreign Ministers within frameworks of  the UN General Assembly.

Further intensification of Kazakhstan’s relations with the Muslim countries meets long-term interests of our country mentioned in the Address of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan N.Nazarbayev to the People of Kazakhstan on March 1, 2006.

Kazakhstan as an multiethnic and multiconfessional state, fully supports the global process aimed at developing dialogue among civilizations and religions. Active participation of our country within the OIC as well as in the frameworks of other large regional and global organizations is becoming more important.

With regard to the increased importance of cultural and civilization dialogue, participants of the 32nd Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers in Sanaa, Yemen in June 2005 supported Kazakhstan’s initiative on promoting inter-faith dialogue by convening the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions.

Special importance is attached to cooperation with the Islamic Development Bank and other financial and consulting institutions and companies.

Implementation process of agreements earlier signed is under development. At present a number of projects either are implemented or to be implemented within the IDB frameworks. The IDB Program which includes several economic and infrastructure projects in Kazakhstan was developed for the period of 2003-2006: -          Syzganov Institute– USD 10 mln; -          Highway Gulshat – Karaganda – USD 10 mln; -          Segment of the Osakarovka – Vishnevka Highway– USD 20 mln; -          Assistance to Small and Medium Enterprises Development– USD 15 mln. 

Development of cooperation with the OIC in educational, cultural-humanitarian, science and technology fields is also of importance. Close interaction with the Islamic Education, Science and Culture Organization (ISESCO) gives Kazakhstan opportunity for successful implementation of national projects such as preservation of cultural heritage monuments, exchange in language training and study of history, culture of Islamic Countries.

On September 9-11 2005 in Mekkah (Saudi Arabia) the Conference of Muslim Scholars and Thinkers was held with the participation of the Chairman of the Committee for Foreign Affairs, Defense and Security of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan Zhabaikhan Abdildin. This activity was aimed at elaboration of recommendations and preparation of documents to be submitted to the Third Extraordinary Conference held in Mekkah on December 7-8 2005.  Representatives of all 57 Member-States participated in this event convoked on the initiative of the King of Saudi Arabia Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

A ten-year Action Plan of the OIC was adopted during the Extraordinary Summit. Based on the proposals of the Kazakh delegation provisions on political, economic and financial assistance to countries affected by environmental disasters as well as on encouragement and stirring up of religious dialogue in the frameworks of dialogue among civilizations were included in the Action Plan. These issues provides the opportunity for effective promotion of the initiative of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan on facilitation of religious dialogue and rendering assistance to the regions of Kazakhstan affected by environmental disasters (the basin of the Aral Sea and Region Semipalatinsk Nuclear Testing site).

The 33rd Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers held in June 2006 in Baku reiterated its support to the Resolution initiated by Kazakhstan “On the situation in the Regions of the Islamic world Affected by Environmental Disasters, in particularly in the basin of the Aral Sea and the Region of Semipalatinsk Region”. Participants unanimously supported the initiative of the President of Kazakhstan on convocation of the Second Congress of World and Traditional Religions.

Kazakhstan actively works in the field of development of inter-parliamentary cooperation within the OIC framework by participating in the activities of the OIC Parliamentary Union such as Conferences and Councils on a regular basis.

With the aim of enhancing and intensifying its cooperation with the OIC, Kazakhstan becomes more integrated in OIC inter-parliamentary relations. This demonstrates our aspiration to develop favourable and mutually beneficial relations with the Islamic countries. Kazakh parliamentarians took part in the 6th Conference of the Parliamentary Union of OIC on April 12-13, 2006 in Turkey.