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This week’s R&D covers the political unrest in Kazakhstan.  Increasing fuel prices provoked protests in the Central Asian nation last week, leading to wider protests against the country’s autocratic government and its economic policies.  Kazakhstan’s leadership called in Russian troops to help restore order and to date more than 9,000 people have been detained by authorities.  Experts see the problems in Kazakhstan and the resulting issues as another example of Russia trying to enhance its influence over former Soviet republic states.

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