In Critical Condition:

Kazakhstan’s Multi-Vector Foreign Policy Approach to Critical Minerals Cooperation and its Implications for the Future of US-Kazakhstan Relations

Brooke Livergood

July 15, 2026

Over the course of two months, the National Security Policy Center’s 2026 summer intern cohort conducted research on critical national security issues on behalf of UVA’s National Security Data and Policy Institute (NSDPI). The group’s work culminated in individual white papers on topics approved by NSDPI supervisors. Graduate researcher Brooke Livergood’s white paper, “In Critical Condition: Kazakhstan’s Multi-Vector Foreign Policy Approach to Critical Minerals Cooperation and its Implications for the Future of US-Kazakhstan Relations,” assesses Kazakhstan’s bilateral critical mineral trade relationships with the U.S., Russia, and China.

Executive Summary

Decorative

Kazakhstan has pursued a multi-vector foreign policy to avoid becoming dependent on any one nation for security assistance and economic support. This paper examines how the nation’s strategic non-alignment manifests itself within Kazakhstan’s critical minerals sector and how it shapes bilateral engagement with the United States, Russia, and China. To effectively reflect and prepare for the future of US-Kazakhstan relations, the United States can draw upon the following lessons from Kazakhstan’s critical mineral cooperation to address policy gaps and potential next steps:

• Bilateral economic trade is burdened by outdated policies.

• US investment in Kazakhstan’s critical mineral sector is being outpaced by competitors.

• The United States needs to work with Kazakhstan’s multi-vector foreign policy, not against.

Research Placemat: