The skyline of Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, is a physical reflection of the Central Asian nation’s approach to foreign affairs.
A sign reading “Moscow” sits atop a Kazakh-Russian business center. Beside it is a pagoda-crowned luxury hotel owned by the Chinese state oil company. Nearby is a gleaming hotel tower and shopping mall, emblazoned with the American brand Ritz-Carlton.
And they all exist in the shadow of Abu Dhabi Plaza, the city’s biggest skyscraper, developed by a real estate firm from the United Arab Emirates.
It is the product of what Kazakhstan’s president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, calls a “multivector” foreign policy.
In pursuit of greater independence and security, Mr. Tokayev’s landlocked nation of 21 million people, bordered by Russia and China, has tried to counterbalance the neighboring superpowers by inviting investment from countries farther afield. They include the United States; European nations like the Netherlands and Switzerland; South Korea; Turkey; and several in the Middle East.
