Steppe Ahead - The Central Asia Podcast

In this episode of the Steppe Ahead Podcast, Jonas and Thomas discuss Alexander von Humboldt’s 1829 expedition through Russia and into Kazakhstan and Kazakhstan’s cycling team Astana as a global branding project. Jonas outlines how Humboldt, traveled for months from St. Petersburg via Moscow, the Urals and Altai toward northeastern Kazakhstan near the Chinese border to study geology, climate and natural resources, while facing censorship and constant supervision. Thomas then shares his first personal connection to Kazakhstan through Tour de France coverage and rider Alexander Vinokurov, explaining the creation, state funding, successes, and controversies of Team Astana and why the focus was on promoting the capital’s name worldwide.

She won coding olympiads as a teenager, published robotics research at 20, landed at Google, quit to found a startup that failed, built a mentorship platform for Kazakh students, and now invests in Central Asian startups from Paris. Nazerke Kalidolda has packed several careers into her late twenties. In this episode we talk about what pulls Kazakh talent abroad and what could bring it back, and what the Central Asian startup scene actually looks like.

In this episode of the "Steppe Ahead" podcast, Jonas Thorsten and Thomas talk about Easter traditions and Thomas's trip to a Mix Markt in Germany, where he found almost no Central Asian products. The hosts develop a wish list of their favorite Central Asian products. They also talk about Kazakhstan’s commercial vehicle market and the growing importance of the Middle Corridor, including the Comtrux trade fair in Astana (May 5–7), aging truck fleets, rising vehicle production, and increasing Chinese, EU, and Uzbek industry involvement. Thomas also finally shares Central Asia's tourism records and plans, including visitor numbers for Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan; the Caspian Riviera project near Aktau; and a major hotel boom in Tashkent featuring brands like Ritz-Carlton.

In this episode of the Steppe Ahead podcast, Jonas Thorsten and Thomas talk about the Kazakh car market and how Thorsten’s viral video highlighted the rapid change and what it means for German cars. They also discuss the absence of Kazakh on Duolingo, the rise of local AI-based apps like Alim and growing interest in learning Kazakh, and the ongoing debate over Latinization versus Cyrillic.00:00 Welcome to Steppe Ahead00:46 Today’s Topics Preview01:39 Viral Kazakh Car Market06:08 Why Chinese Cars Win10:37 Prices and Models Compared16:10 Local Production and Investment18:37 Old Cars and Fleet Changes21:03 Language Apps in Central Asia26:21 Kazakh Learning Boom30:14 Alphabet Latinization Debate31:56 Episode Wrap Up and Next Topics

In this episode of the Steppe Ahead podcast, Jonas shares impressions from the Leipzig Book Fair, noting 300,000 visitors and discussing Central Asian literature, including classic writers Mukhtar Auezov and Chingiz Aitmatov, and the Kazakh Library translation project, The conversation then shifts to Kazakhstan’s plan to build Alatau City near Almaty to relieve overcrowding, traffic, and pollution, with ambitions for a finance and business hub, special economic zone incentives, major construction partners, earthquake-mitigation technology, and targets of millions of residents, tourists, and jobs by 2050. They also discuss innovative mobility ideas such as air taxis linking Almaty, mountain resorts, and Alatau. Finally, the hosts examine EU–Central Asia relations, contrasting EU free trade momentum elsewhere with enhanced partnership agreements in Central Asia and highlighting visa facilitation talks, while noting hurdles like differing regulations and Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan’s membership in the Eurasian Economic Union.00:00 Mic Check and Welcome00:26 Leipzig Book Fair Highlights01:44 Central Asian Authors to Know03:52 Book Picks and Kazakh Library06:56 Why Central Asia Is Underrepresented09:06 Alatau City Vision11:27 How Alatau Will Work16:01 Funding Targets and Realism17:53 Almaty Traffic and Air Taxis21:16 EU and Central Asia Trade Talks26:23 Visa Facilitation and Fairness32:07 Wrap Up and Goodbye

Jonas, Thorsten, and Thomas discuss Nowruz, the Persian “new day” spring festival, its 3,000-year-old origins, Soviet-era public ban, and current Kazakh traditions such as Nauryz kozhe, yurts, wearing traditional clothes, settling debts, and making peace before the holiday, alongside its timing near the end of Ramadan and its spread across Iran, Central Asia, and nearby regions. They then cover Uzbekistan’s long WTO accession process, including bilateral talks with 34 parties and expectations of joining in 2026, weighing risks to protected industries against benefits like higher standards, investor confidence, and a cited German Economic Team estimate of +0.4% real GDP growth per year from liberalization.01:01 What Is Nowruz04:17 Traditions and Food07:23 Nowruz and Ramadan09:22 Why It Spreads13:30 Uzbekistan WTO Push17:58 Risks and Benefits23:50 GDP Study Findings26:49 Tourism Teaser Wrap

In this episode, Thorsten, Jonas and Thomas discuss Kazakhstan’s referendum on a new constitution that would take effect July 1, dissolve the current parliament, and trigger new elections. They also cover Uzbekistan’s super app Uzum, which secured a huge investment from Oman’s sovereign wealth fund plus investment from Tencent, reaching a $2.3 billion valuation. Finally, they examine Russia’s McDonald’s successor, “Vkusno i Tochka”, expanding into Kyrgyzstan as a test market.

The hosts Jonas, Thorsten, and Thomas discuss how landlocked Central Asian economies rely on transit routes such as the Turkmenistan–Iran rail link and warn that disrupted oil supply could push prices above $200 per barrel, worsening inflation for energy importers like Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan while creating mixed, risky effects for exporters such as Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. The conversation highlights growing importance of the Middle Corridor logistics route and notes Kazakhstan’s continued dependence on food imports despite some export potential. Jonas reviews the Aral Sea disaster caused by Soviet-era irrigation and cotton projects, describing partial recovery since the 2005 Kok-Aral dam, including rising water levels, reduced salinity, and returning fish species.00:00 Welcome to the Podcast00:34 Iran Conflict Impact03:05 Show Format and Topics03:43 Aral Sea Story Setup04:40 Central Asia Business Case08:10 Oil Shock and Region Risks16:13 Middle Corridor Logistics18:16 Food Imports and Security21:13 Aral Sea History and Recovery29:11 Wrap Up and Takeaways