A straight line to opportunity

Look at this map, an unfamiliar angle but a great example of equidistant projection. In this, you are standing on top of the world and all the points on the map are at equal distance from your location in the North Pole. Particularly useful for showing airline routes from the central hub or for polar research stations.

But here’s the more interesting part. Notice how Kazakhstan, often viewed as a landmass disconnected and far from the West, can suddenly be seen as having a straight line to the United States.

A direct route or opportunities, a natural trade bridge, a perfect corridor for partnerships. Perception really can both obscure and enlighten.

Kazakhstan and the United States have come a long way together in thirty years. From cooperation on C5+1 Critical Minerals Dialogue to US-Kazakhstan Bilateral Investment Treaty, from mutual support in OSCE and Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council to the now annual US-Kazakhstan Enhanced Strategic Partnership Dialogue.

We are an important partner for the US due to our position at the crossroads of Eurasia. Our large territory, vast natural resources, and economic stability have made us a Central Asian leader. A partnership between a global power and an emerging regional power. This is a partnership that has stood the test of time.

As a saying goes, “Strong wind reveals the strength of grass, and genuine gold stands the test of fire.” Kazakhstanis remember that the United States was one of the first to recognize our independence and enter into diplomatic relations.

However, this relationship is not without its challenges. Current US-Kazakhstan trade stands at USD $2.5 billion – still small when considered the potential in renewable energy, minerals, technology, and supply chains. And it certainly dwarfs in comparison to the full potential of Central Asia’s $400 billion economy.

As a businessperson with interests in various sectors, I have seen first-hand the power of partnership, and I can see how Kazakhstan-US partnership can be strengthened on multiple fronts.

No country can afford to go-it-alone. It is only together, that we can find answers to the questions people of our two countries are asking.

We don’t have to redraw the map. The straight line is not just a curious cartographic exercise but in fact a pathway to shared prosperity.