Steppe Ahead - The Central Asia Podcast

Jonas Prien, Thorsten Gutmann & Thomas Baier
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Steppe Ahead – The Central Asia Podcast Insights from the heart of Eurasia By Jonas Prien, Thorsten Gutmann and Thomas Baier Central Asia is one of the world’s most dynamic and most overlooked regions. With ambitious young people, rapidly growing economies, dynamic investments, and some of the world’s most strategic trade routes and natural resources crossing its vast landscape, the region is becoming increasingly important to global business and geopolitics. Still, it receives the attention it deserves. Steppe Ahead aims to change that!  Each episode explores key developments shaping Central Asia from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan. The podcast breaks down markets, politics, and regional trends through the perspectives of regional experts. For anyone who wants to understand Central Asia before it becomes impossible to ignore. New episodes? Whenever the region gives us something worth talking about!

Episodes

  1. Football Revolution: Uzbekistan Leads Central Asia to the World Stage

    May 20

    Football Revolution: Uzbekistan Leads Central Asia to the World Stage

    Jonas and Thomas record a special football-focused Steppe Ahead podcast. They discuss Uzbekistan qualifying for its first World Cup in the expanded 2026 tournament and preview Group K. The conversation frames football as a tool for national branding and highlights upcoming events such as the 2027 U20 World Cup in Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan. They review Central Asian talent and transfers, including Manchester City’s Huzanov and Chelsea’s 17-year-old Satpayev, revisit Bunyodkor Tashkent’s 2008–2011 experiment with stars like Rivaldo and coaches like Zico and Scolari, and cover Kazakhstan’s club momentum led by Kairat Almaty’s Champions League success and stadium expansion, plus major regional venues such as Ashgabat’s Olympic Stadium.

    33 min
  2. Team Astana: Successful Sports Branding & Humboldt in Central Asia

    Apr 27

    Team Astana: Successful Sports Branding & Humboldt in Central Asia

    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.

    38 min
  3. Nazerke Kalidolda on Leaving Google, Failing Forward & Investing in Central Asia

    Apr 19

    Nazerke Kalidolda on Leaving Google, Failing Forward & Investing in Central Asia

    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.

    38 min
  4. Tourism Boom, Missing Central Asian Foods & Middle Corridor Trucking

    Apr 15

    Tourism Boom, Missing Central Asian Foods & Middle Corridor Trucking

    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.

    40 min
  5. Kazakhstan’s Car Market Goes Chinese & The Rise of Local Language Apps

    Apr 9

    Kazakhstan’s Car Market Goes Chinese & The Rise of Local Language Apps

    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 Ahead 00:46 Today’s Topics Preview 01:39 Viral Kazakh Car Market 06:08 Why Chinese Cars Win 10:37 Prices and Models Compared 16:10 Local Production and Investment 18:37 Old Cars and Fleet Changes 21:03 Language Apps in Central Asia 26:21 Kazakh Learning Boom 30:14 Alphabet Latinization Debate 31:56 Episode Wrap Up and Next Topics

    34 min
  6. Central Asian Literature, Alatau City & EU–Central Asia Cooperation

    Apr 2

    Central Asian Literature, Alatau City & EU–Central Asia Cooperation

    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 Welcome 00:26 Leipzig Book Fair Highlights 01:44 Central Asian Authors to Know 03:52 Book Picks and Kazakh Library 06:56 Why Central Asia Is Underrepresented 09:06 Alatau City Vision 11:27 How Alatau Will Work 16:01 Funding Targets and Realism 17:53 Almaty Traffic and Air Taxis 21:16 EU and Central Asia Trade Talks 26:23 Visa Facilitation and Fairness 32:07 Wrap Up and Goodbye

    33 min
  7. Nowruz Traditions Explained & Uzbekistan's Next Steps Towards the WTO

    Mar 22

    Nowruz Traditions Explained & Uzbekistan's Next Steps Towards the WTO

    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 Nowruz 04:17 Traditions and Food 07:23 Nowruz and Ramadan 09:22 Why It Spreads 13:30 Uzbekistan WTO Push 17:58 Risks and Benefits 23:50 GDP Study Findings 26:49 Tourism Teaser Wrap

    40 min
  8. Kazakhstan Constitutional Referendum, Uzum's Rise, and a New Fast-Food Chain in Kyrgyzstan

    Mar 14

    Kazakhstan Constitutional Referendum, Uzum's Rise, and a New Fast-Food Chain in Kyrgyzstan

    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.

    40 min
  9. Central Asia Amid the Iran Crisis, Middle Corridor & Aral Sea Disaster

    Mar 12

    Central Asia Amid the Iran Crisis, Middle Corridor & Aral Sea Disaster

    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 Podcast 00:34 Iran Conflict Impact 03:05 Show Format and Topics 03:43 Aral Sea Story Setup 04:40 Central Asia Business Case 08:10 Oil Shock and Region Risks 16:13 Middle Corridor Logistics 18:16 Food Imports and Security 21:13 Aral Sea History and Recovery 29:11 Wrap Up and Takeaways

    32 min
  • 9 Episodes

About

Steppe Ahead – The Central Asia Podcast Insights from the heart of Eurasia By Jonas Prien, Thorsten Gutmann and Thomas Baier Central Asia is one of the world’s most dynamic and most overlooked regions. With ambitious young people, rapidly growing economies, dynamic investments, and some of the world’s most strategic trade routes and natural resources crossing its vast landscape, the region is becoming increasingly important to global business and geopolitics. Still, it receives the attention it deserves. Steppe Ahead aims to change that!  Each episode explores key developments shaping Central Asia from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan. The podcast breaks down markets, politics, and regional trends through the perspectives of regional experts. For anyone who wants to understand Central Asia before it becomes impossible to ignore. New episodes? Whenever the region gives us something worth talking about!

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