RUSSIA NEEDS "BUFFER ZONE"
APRIL 21, 2005
By Toby Westerman
Copyright 2005 International News Analysis Today
www.inatoday.com
Russia "desperately needs a buffer zone….of friendly or at least neutral neighbors," according to a top member of Russia's parliament.
The "buffer zone" is needed so that Russia "can focus more on its domestic problems," and not as an expression of "imperial foreign policy," declared Mikhail Margelov, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Federation Council, the Russian parliament's upper house, cited by the Voice of Russia World Service.
Margelov's call for a "buffer zone" was in response to what he referred to as recent "turmoil" in several post-Soviet republics, most recently in Kyrgyzstan.
Because the Federation Council is virtually in the control of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Margelov's remarks can be considered as representing the policy of the Moscow political elite.
Margelov did not elaborate on the exact nature of the "buffer zone," nor did he indicate how Moscow would establish it.
The Moscow political elite are disturbed by revolutions in nations bordering on Russia, which have resulted in the overthrow of governments favorable to Moscow.
The "Rose" revolution in Georgia expelled Eduard Shevardnadze, Ukraine's "Orange" defeated Moscow's favored candidate and elected Vicktor Yushchenko, and Kyrgyz protestors drove out Askar Akayev.
Of the three rebellions, the least troublesome for Moscow are the events in Kyrgyzstan, where the band of politicians who took power is at least as pro-Russian as the former regime.
Ukraine and Georgia present a more difficult situation, because the regimes that took power are seeking to increase their independence from Moscow. Some predict a second "Orange" revolution in Russia, and the Moscow elite is attempting to ensure that their power remains undisturbed.
Russia remains unpredictable. While Russia's military is still dangerous, Moscow is becoming a major economic power, thanks to the sale of Russian oil and gas, particularly to Western Europe. How Moscow will use its economic and military strength in response to any future "Orange" revolutions is uncertain.
What is clear is that Moscow feels threatened, and it has the ability to take action.
Copyright 2005
International News Analysis Today
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