Blog posts by Mathilde Montpetit

Occupy Wall Street has become a punch line. Jokes referencing the 1% or the 99% seem practically ubiquitous, and yet those few protestors who continue their demonstrations despite the encroaching winter have lost practically all media attention. In the U.S., attention has shifted entirely to the upcoming presidential elections, and the Eurozone crisis has eclipsed the few protests in Europe.

Will the entire movement, and its demands for a more equitable income distribution, fade out of consciousness? If last week’s World Economic Forum is to be an indicator, maybe not.

The riots that have been rocking Southwestern Kazakhstan since Friday have already led to forty casualties and at least fourteen deaths as protestors clash with police. Official government sources have referred to the rioters as mere “hooligans” and remain confident that the government will be able to put down the protests. They continue to assure outside observers that oil production will not be interrupted by the protests. Even so, the situation is reminiscent of the countless anti-government protests that have been spreading across the Middle East and Central Asia all year. Kazakhstan’s government seems to need only a small push to be on the verge of collapse – probably for the best.