Yeah, that's right - I used to think he looked Turkish too. I got really surprised when I saw the film and heard him talking about Kazakhstan. I think that Borat is a Turkish name but I have never met anyone called that.

Sacha Baron Cohen is Jewish, that's why he looks vaguely Middle Eastern and a bit like a Turk with make-up on.
In case people don't know - Sacha Baron-Cohen is BRITISH and not American. So it's not an American film actually. He went to Oxford University and is well educated, well spoken and intelligent. I think this and the fact that he is British makes it even worse. Everyone knows that Americans are rubbish at geography. But British people simply have no excuse! I think the film is tasteless and insulting towards Kazakhstan. Likewise the film the Baron-Cohen did in America afterwards, can't remember the name and it was so terrible that I didn't even finish watching it. There is plenty of things to critisize America for, but ridiculing the culture of American people in America is just rude.