By empty (6/27/2001 issue of the CACI Analyst)

A woman has been appointed Kazakhstan's deputy defense minister - the first woman to hold a ministerial post in the history of independent Kazakhstan. Jannat Ertlesova is a well-known economist who has worked at a senior level at the country's national bank, the finance ministry and in the presidential administration. Some observers have called it a victory for feminism but most people believe she was appointed because her economic expertise will be essential in the defense department which is facing problems of financial mismanagement.