In the past few weeks we have discussed Russian relations and influence in Central Asia in the prism of the recent Georgia-Russian conflict, and for good reason, as the war sent vibrations across the geopolitical landscape, and was especially relevant to former Soviet Republics such as our CA states. However, before the early August invasions I had come across a few CA-Russian connected stories, that we must never the less view in a new light.
The first story is a report published just days ago, but about a process that has been ongoing for years. The Heritage Foundation's Helle Dale and Oliver Horn discussed the retreat of the US-sponsored Voice of America radio programs throughout the Caucasus, Eastern Europe and Central Asia in past years. On this site, I commonly use Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, an affiliate US-sponsored radio program, sources and advocate its positive 'soft power’ impact, so this report intrigued and disturbed me. Dale and Horn assert that poor funding, a concentration of funding going to the Middle East and Asia, outsourcing of broadcasts to semi-private entities with ‘dubious’ track records, and Russian supported outright hostility and intimidation have caused the Voice of America and its local partners to close shop in Central Asia. The report also mentions that Radio Free Europe was a ‘vulnerable’ target for the Kremlin-led crackdown. Real quick the goal or mandate for these US-sponsored radio programs are to ‘explain US foreign policy, present responsible discussions and opinion on US policy, and offer a balanced and comprehensive projection of significant American thought and institutions.’
What to do? Congress can step in and has to raise and keep funding. Just last month, the Senate Appropriations Committee explicitly funded Voice of America programming in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. Dale and Horn smartly recommend establishing a doctrine to help explain the purpose and coordinate the specific role of each foreign radio program, reforming the nascent Broadcasting Board of Governors, and increasing and ensuring that regions outside the Middle East receive stable funding. We all know here how important the Central Asian region is to US foreign policy and the power that the Voice of America can have in places of the world in need of accurate and different viewpoints. How do you view its influence in the CA and the world? Does Russia have good reason to attempt to shut it down or is US stepping on others toes just to promote our own interests?
The next few Russian-CA items are military/security based: According to the Russian newspaper Commersant and Russian Air Force Commander-in-Chief Alex Zelin, Russia plans on establishing their own anti-missile system in the Caucasus and Central Asian regions. Zelin stated; ‘Previous cooperation on missile defense systems has proven that the joint regional anti-missile system established by members of the Commonwealth of Independent States should be expanded.’ The joint missile defense system currently includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Ukraine. Will this plan come to fruition or is it just bluster in response to US-missile defenses in Poland and Czech Republic?
CSTO Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha announced that the organization will set up a joint task force in Central Asia to ‘become a restraining military and political factor in the region, taking an uneasy situation in Afghanistan into account. The CSTO already has several military groupings in the region, and along with Russia's several military bases stationed there, and similar endeavors of the SCO, it appears Russia is attempting to solidify its position in the region as concretely as possible.
Lastly in regards to Russian-led security outfits; Russian President Medvedev has outlined a new security organization to deal with issues such as terrorism and illegal migration spaning from Europe to Asia. Moscow has reportedly invited all NATO and EU nations, all its ex-Soviet states, the SCO, and China to a large conference to discuss the enterprise for next year. The aims and plausability of such an expansive security grouping is far-fetched, but the proposal raises several interesting questions of Russia's current stance in the region and world and its desires as well.
Finally, over a month or two ago, we discussed the rise in violent crime against immigrants, those mainly with darker skin from Central Asia, in Russia. Well it appears the situation has not gotten better, but that some good news might be on the horizon. A big issue was whether the Russian state would crackdown on these racist criminals and in this there is one sign of hope. In late July, a skinhead group was arrested and brought to trial for the murder of 20 migrants. These perpetrators blatantly attacked their victims in public and used video to catalog their crimes. The Russian government must show its people and the world that this type of behavior to minorities is unacceptable.
