It is said that President Nursultan Nazarbayev wakes up every day in Astana, his spanking new capital, and hears the growl of a Russian bear to the north and the roar of a Chinese tiger to the East. And these days, he frequently finds Uncle Sam at his front door holding an empty gasoline can. A sprawling expanse of steppes, mountains and deserts, this country extends from the eastern limits of Europe to the western border of China. It is four times the size of Texas but has just 15 million inhabitants, compared with the estimated 22 million in "the Lone Star State." Russia and China are interested in expanding their footholds in this oil-rich country, but Mr. Nazarbayev makes overtures to the United States and Europe to counterbalance his heftier neighbors.
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