May 18, 2007:
The Soviet Union lives on in Central
Asia. The former parts of the defunct Soviet Union are still run by Soviet era
bureaucrats, with the aid of an effective secret police and state control of
major industries. While there is some democratic opposition in Kyrgyzstan,
these groups have not been able to gain any traction. The Islamic radicals
aren't doing very well either, especially in light of the recent losses
(several hundred exiled Islamic radicals) in Pakistan, at the hands of angry
local tribes. Media censorship, including blocking news sites on the
Internet, is on the increase. The dictators are taking help from wherever they
can get it, continuing the old Cold War game of playing the major powers off
against each other. In this case, the U.S., Russia, the European Union,
China and India are all in play. Indian troops help train Uzbek soldiers, while
everyone pitches deal to get oil and gas out of Central Asia via pipelines. The
Uzbeks have agreed to send half of their natural gas to China, while Kazakhstan
will keep shipping most of its oil out via Russia. Because Central Asia is,
literally, in the middle of nowhere for the mass media, what goes on there is
largely ignored. On the plus side, there's no messy terrorism or rebellions
going on. On the minus side, there's not much personal freedom or economic
growth either. So, in a way, the Soviet Union lives on, at the corner of no and
where.