Hillary’s Game in Russia’s Bloc

The U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton took a tour recently of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The trip was important because America is increasing its presence in Russia’s bloc.

Though the main reason for this trip was said to be Hillary’s participation in the European Cooperation and Security summit, many political analysts believe that this is the start of a new phase of American policies in Central Asia and the Caucasus.

America has always tried to establish a presence in the region in order to exploit the potential of these countries for its own political, economical and militaristic goals. Exploiting the energy reserves in the region and allying with these countries in confrontation with Russia and China are among the main plans that America has for the region. America has planned to use NATO’s capacity to reach its goals, though NATO is looking at these relationships with uncertainty.

While Russia and China are sensitive towards America’s activities, Washington is trying to implement its plans with excuses like fighting terrorism and providing economical and cultural assistance to the countries in this region.

This process is different in each country. For example, America is implementing its plans in countries like Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan under the cover of the war in Afghanistan and fighting terrorism. In Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan and Armenia, it is focusing on developing cultural and economic transactions.

Though America claims that it has canceled its missile defense shield plan in the region, the Americans are in practice still following their old intentions. Moscow has warned against the consequences of America’s plans for the region. Central Asia and the Caucasus have a strategic importance for Russia and are considered red lines for this country. Russians won’t even bear China’s presence in this region.

America claims that it seeks to reduce tensions between itself and Russia, but that claim is false, as both sides are still in a race to achieve their own gains. Hillary’s trip could have a negative impact on the relationship between the two countries mainly because of the missile defense shield plans, security cooperation with Europe, cooperating with NATO, ratifying the START 2 treaty, etc. etc. — though both parties are still trying to show that they insist on diplomatic solutions.