JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia’s Putin Seizes on Crises to Assert Control Over Former Soviet Republics” – WSJ

Map of CIS Central Asia and Environs

“In tightening grip over neighbors, president seeks to signal that his country is a superpower to be both feared and respected.”

“… The [Russian-led CSTO] venture into Kazakhstan, at the request of the country’s leader, follows nearly 15 years of Russian interventionism in Georgia, Belarus, Ukraine and elsewhere aimed at pulling [them] even closer to Russia … propping up [Kremlin-aligned] leaders … playing regional power-broker, or trying to weaken those … [showing] deference to the West. … Putin’s determination to reassert Russian hegemony in the former Soviet sphere is largely based on his view that the demise of the U.S.S.R. was ‘a major geopolitical disaster.’ … Putin’s efforts to assert Russia’s influence [in the former Soviet region has] culminated in his … standoff with the West over Ukraine …. In … [U.S.-Russian] talks, the Kremlin [reportedly] could take the opportunity to depict the [Kazakh] crisis and … call for help from … Tokayev as proof of Russia’s role as … protector of regional order and stability ….”

Click here for: “Russia’s Putin Seizes on Crises to Assert Control Over Former Soviet Republics; In tightening grip over neighbors, president seeks to signal that his country is a superpower to be both feared and respected” – Wall Street Journal/ Ann M. Simmons, Brett Forrest

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