This week, the Central Asian nation of Kazakhstan has been rocked by massive protests.

Our colleague, James Marcin, has reported on the region for more than a decade.

How would you describe what's happening now in Kazakhstan?

Chaos.

Chaos.

The protests started January 2nd.

The government lifted a cab on the price of gas.

In a situation quickly escalated.

It was a matter of days before protesters were storming and even tortured administrative

buildings.

We've had reports from residents in Almaty, which is the largest city, and they just

described chaotic scenes overnight.

Thursday and Friday morning, they said they heard gunfire.

They were frightened to go out.

When they did go out, they saw that shops had been looted and their windows smashed.

Authorities are saying that dozens have died in the clashes between government forces

and protesters, who they're calling armed terrorists.

They're saying that more than a dozen police officers have been killed.

In a matter of days, Kazakhstan has gone from relatively stable to the brink of revolution.

So what's been astonishing about these protests is how quickly things have moved.

Initially, they were focused on the fuel price increase.

Some people gathering to protest about that specific economic problem that they had.

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