MIGRATION MANAGEMENT AND BORDER SECURITY IN KAZAKHSTAN

Abstract

In addition to its geopolitical importance, having a small population despite its large surface area necessitated for Kazakhstan to consider migration and border management issues together in ensuring the security of its borders after independence. The wave of immigration to Kazakhistan from the People's Republic of China and its Slavic population concentrated along the border of the Russian Federation brought along a policy of immigration aimed at ensuring ethnic homogeneity on the one hand, and a policy aimed at ensuring territorial integrity in a multicultural polity on the other. Moreover, Afghanistan-based security threats faced by the Central Asian states after the September 11 attacks, issues such as border violations, drug trafficking, arms smuggling have required a more detailed examination of the migration and border policies of Kazakhstan. This study, which also examines the historical and demographic transformations of Kazakhstan since the pre-Soviet period, deals with the country's migration management policies and efforts to ensure border security from the pre-Soviet period to the present.