By Farkhod Tolipov (9/17/2009 issue of the CACI Analyst)
Since mid-July, rumors and official pronouncements have multiplied regarding the possible deployment of a second Russian military base in Kyrgyzstan. The base would be deployed in the town of Osh in the southern parts of the country, to house forces of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).
By Fariz Ismailzade (9/1/2009 issue of the CACI Analyst)
Turkmenistan’s recent plans to sue Azerbaijan over the Kyapaz oil field as well as to create a military base, border patrol service and navy in the Caspian have shocked Baku and sent a worrying signal to European energy and political circles. These intentions put the much-hoped Nabucco gas pipeline at risk and set the scene for an arms race in the region. Nobody is likely to emerge as a winner in this situation, and the general security framework in the Caspian basin is likely to worsen.
By Cornelius Graubner (9/1/2009 issue of the CACI Analyst)
The activities of the Obama administration hint that the main U.S. interest in Central Asia continues to be in its function as a military transit and supply hub.
By Farkhod Tolipov (9/1/2009 issue of the CACI Analyst)
At the June 14 summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in Moscow, the leaders of the member states adopted the decision to form the CSTO Collective Rapid Reaction Forces (CRRF). However, two CSTO members, Belarus and Uzbekistan, refrained from joining the CRRF. Thus, the alliance once again failed to display the collectivity it needs for becoming a full-fledged military block.
The Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst is a biweekly publication of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program, a Joint Transatlantic Research and Policy Center affiliated with the American Foreign Policy Council, Washington DC., and the Institute for Security and Development Policy, Stockholm. For 15 years, the Analyst has brought cutting edge analysis of the region geared toward a practitioner audience.
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