US President John F. Kennedy established Peace Corps in 1961, in order to promote American ideals abroad. Since then it has sent more than 200,000 volunteers to work in 139 countries around the world. Peace Corps has operated in Kazakhstan without interruption since 1993. Since then, over 1,120 Americans have served in Kazakhstan working with communities in projects focused on teaching English, education, youth development, HIV/AIDS prevention, and community development. And, this month the US Peace Corps is leaving the country. In a statement, Peace Corps said it was suspending its program in Kazakhstan for “a number of operational considerations”, but without giving a clear reason.
It is important to highlight that since Kazakhstan´s independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the country has built up a reputation as one of the most stable countries in Central Asia. Some newspapers ensure that the reason of leaving was the rape of a Peace Corps volunteer, and the alert of radical Islamists attacks as the one that happened a week ago when a gunman killed seven people. However, the Kazakh education ministry ensures that Peace Corps is leaving because of the country´s rapid social and economic development over the past years. From my point of view, the US Peace Corps is leaving Kazakhstan because almost all of its programs are completed. Propelled by revenues from oil, Kazakhstan´s economy is booming and before this year terrorist attacks had been unheard of. Therefore, I think this movement of radical Islamists is not the main reason of leaving the country. My opinion is that the suspension of activities in the country is the logical action, taking into account the fact that Kazakhstan has reached progress in political, social, and economic development and that Kazakhstan is currently a country with the above average level of income and an increasingly important global energy supplier.
Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/kazakhstan/8899201/US-Peace-Corps-quits-Kazakhstan.html
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