Mr Miras Zhiyenbayev

Miras Zhiyenbayev is Executive Fellow at Geneva Centre for Security Policy within Global Fellowship Initiative and currently serves as Advisor to the Chairman of the Board for International Affairs and Initiatives at Maqsut Narikbayev University in Astana.

He specialize in middle power politics, geopolitics of critical minerals, comparative foreign policy and Kazakhstan's Strategy and Foreign Policy. His writings have appeared in The National Interest, The Atlanticist, Global Asia and other outlets. Zhiyenbayev is a regular contributor for The Astana Times. He appears regularly on Euronews, 24KZ, CGTN, Silkway, and other networks in 20 countries.

He is author of acclaimed book, Widening the Scope: How Middle Powers are Changing Liberal Institutionalism (KazISS, 2023). The foreword was penned by Shigeo Katsu, the former Vice President for Europe and Central Asia at the World Bank and the Founding President of Nazarbayev University. This work is not only celebrated for encapsulating Kazakhstan's middle power identity but also holds the distinction of being the first Kazakh academic book presented at the UN Library & Archives in Geneva. Zhiyenbayev is co-editor of Kazakhstan-2023: Trends of Today and Outlines of Tomorrow published by KazISS in Russian (2023), Kazakh and English (2024).

Prior to his current position, Zhiyenbayev was Senior Fellow and founding Head of the Foreign Policy and International Studies Program at the MNU's Maqsut Narikbayev Institute for Networking and Development (MIND). From 2022 to 2024, Zhiyenbayev served as a Leading Expert (Leading Research Fellow) at the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies, the nation's preeminent think-tank operating under the auspices of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan and recognised as top think-tank in Central Asia. His tenure at KazISS was marked by the unique achievement of becoming the institution's youngest ever Leading Expert and youngest single-authored monograph author, he was part of the Department of European and American Studies founding team. He was Visiting Scholar at Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy's Russia and Eurasia Program (2023) and held research and administrative positions at the HSE University and Karaganda Technical University.

He has also convened, supported and attended a number of bilateral and multilateral strategic track 1.5 dialogues between Kazakhstan, Central Asia and the United States, Japan, Spain, Canada, the United Kingdom and India.

A Member of the Experts Club under the Senate of Parliament, Zhiyenbayev has received numerous official commendations in Kazakhstan for his insights into practical policy, including the Altyn Barys Badge of Honour and Commendation of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan (2024), Commendations of the Speaker of the Senate, Advisors to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan and numerous government agencies, and professional awards, including Young Researchers Alliance's Award in 2019 and two Scopus Awards Kazakhstan in 2018 and 2019.