Kazakhstan in Putins Sights This has been my greatest fear, totally unrecognized in the western media. I think Putins foray into Ukraine is basically an experiment -- he want to establish his power of annexation and wants to demonstrate the impotence of the west, which hasnt been hard to do with Obama in the White House. But Putin could take or leave Ukraine. He certainly doesnt need it, and it would be more trouble than its worth. Kazakhstan, however, is a goldmine waiting to be looted, literally. Kazakhstan is the ninth largest country in the world by territory, and it is jam-packed with gold, silver, titanium, uranium, and many other strategic metals and minerals. It is also practically defenseless, far out of NATOs reach. And thats not to mention oil, of which Kazakhstan has one of the worlds largest reserves. Russian nationalists have long claimed that northern and western Kazakhstan -- where the minerals and oil are -- are parts of Russia. I debated this point with Russian nationalists in Moscow newspapers during my stays in Kazakhstan from 1990 to 2000. I saw demonstrations by Russian nationalists ready to seize Kazakhstan at that time. And when Kazakhstan did declare its independence, I knew it was only a matter of time before it would be challenged by Russia. Ukraine is Putins proving ground. Kazakhstan is his objective. In his incautious remarks to newspapers recently, he has now made that clear. rferl.org/content/kazakhstan-putin-history-reaction-nation/26565141.html
Posted on: Thu, 04 Sep 2014 15:27:00 +0000
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