I find it hard, however, to believe that nobody else gets excited about this except me. :)

But what about scenario when election happens, accepted as a fair one. Nazarbaev wins, becomes the best friend with Mr. President (well, I keep hearing that next time around it might be actually Mrs.) and launches his own "perestroika". And then everything will go according to the script that was played in the 90s of previous century. When "you know, we are the best friends but you still have to do more for freedom and stuff". While assets of elite go westward until they (the elite) become completely controllable. Or did it already happened?

Where do they (the elite of Kazakhstan) keep their money, actually?.

I also don't understand why everything spins around oil. You had (I remember) once data on that. There is this one guy here in states not very well known (kind of fringe figure, still makes a good read though) who said once that oil deposits in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are not that big and that important, and West remembers about it only when they need extra bargaining chip either with arabs or to make locals feel important. My information might be old but there are other things (I mean chemicals or, more precisely, chemical elements) that would be probably more important than oil.

You want a quiz? ;) . Do you know what chemical element I am talking about? At least in 1990s US had it, China had it, Kazakhstan had it. Russia did not have it after break up of Soviet Union.