The Foreign Service Journal, January 2007

like some sort of mechanical aviary” ( www.slate.com/id/2103893/ ) . In Almaty, Kazakhstan’s commercial cen- ter and former capital, “[streets] are jammed with expensive SUVs; restau- rants are packed; and boutiques offer fine Italian shoes” ( www.mecury news.com/mld/mercurynews/ living/16101902.htm ). These large-scale modernization efforts have been sparked by the vast oil reserves that have helped boost the country’s standard of living. In 2000, having successfully moved from com- munism to a market economy through various reforms and sound policies, Kazakhstan became the first ex-Soviet republic to pay off its debts to the IMF, doing so seven years ahead of schedule ( http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Kazakhstan#Economy ). Cur- rently Kazakhstan enjoys a GDP growth rate of over 9 percent and is working to become one of the 50 most competitive states in the world. While Kazakhstanis won’t really have to wait until 2041 for an election, as Borat claims, it is not clear when they will get a free and fair one. The government has come under fire from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe for elections that did not meet international stan- dards, and has also been accused of stifling opposition groups and media. This will pose a problem for Astana’s quest of the OSCE rotating chairman- ship in 2009 ( www.rferl.org/feature sarticle/2005/11/093c2712-1bed- 4129-88d8-fdc65d8a14d4.html ). With regard to social freedoms, women in Kazakhstan hold govern- ment positions, own businesses and have always been allowed to ride, despite the movie’s claim, inside the buses. Kazakhs also enjoy a great degree of religious freedom and Jews form an integrated and respected community. Indeed, the National Conference on Soviet Jewry concedes, “Anti-Semitism is not prevalent in Kazakhstan and rare incidents are reported in the press. None have been reported in the last two years” ( www.slate.com/id/2152789/ ) . One thing the country has not been lauded for is a sense of humor. Kazakhstani officials have gone to great lengths to defend their nation’s honor in the face of Borat’s pranks. In 2005, the government shut down his Web site, www.borat.kz , and threat- ened legal action against the comedi- an. Recently, however, its stance has softened, perhaps because Kazakh officials began to understand what Borat is really about. As Cohen points out, “The joke is not on Kazakhstan. I think the joke is on people who can believe that the Kazakhstan that I describe can exist” ( www.rolling stone.com/news/coverstory/sacha_ baron_cohen_the_real_borat_fina lly_speaks/page/1 ). More likely, though, Kazakhstani officials have finally realized that, as President Nursultan Nazarbayev re- marked in a recent trip to London, “any publicity is good publicity.” Following release of the “moviefilm,” there has been a 300-percent increase in Web searches for accommodations in Astana, and the Kazakhstan embassy in Washington now gets 100 calls a week from potential tourists ( www.timesonline.co.uk/article/ 0,,2089-2483771,00.html ). “Borat” has even been nominated by noted novelist Sapabek Asip-uly for the Kazakh Club of Art Patrons’ annual award, for sparking “an immense interest in the whole world in Kazakhstan, something our authorities could not do.” — Lamiya Rahman, Editorial Intern 12 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 7 C Y B E R N O T E S Site of the Month: IBCtoday.com Tyler Cavell, founder of the Montreal-based Internet Broadcast Corporation, wants to “do for international news what CNN has done for local news in the U.S.” — that is, provide frequently updated international head- lines. IBCtoday.com , Cavell’s TV news site, adds a new spin on global report- ing. Bypassing the often-biased reporting found in North American media, it draws on stories from over 130 countries to present local points of view on regional news. The concept is simple, yet revolutionary. To offer more balanced and accu- rate reports, the IBC relies on partnerships with local broadcasters in various regions around the world in addition to leading news providers, such as the BBC and the Associated Press. The stories carried on IBCtoday are uncut and unedited, shown in their original language with English subtitles. The site, which broadcasts up to 90 new stories a day, is updated every half- hour. Users can browse through seven categories — business, entertainment, environment, history, politics, war and world news — or search by region and country. Registered users can also take advantage of some innovative tools. For instance, advertisements, IBCtoday ’s main source of profits, are user-specific, displaying only products and services that match up with a user’s profile infor- mation. In addition, members can contribute to the site by submitting their own news videos. — Lamiya Rahman, Editoral Intern