KALEIDOSCOPE

The new world order

Nasrine R. Karim

The Stalinist regime in the former USSR maintained national and ethnic divisions presumably to divide the Soviet working class and peasantry. This was also rife within the Russian bureaucracy. National and ethnic grievances were exacerbated by brutal acts of repression, such as Stalin's mass expulsion of the Chechen people to Central Asia after World War II. Things appear to have changed since then.
   Earlier this year, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev proclaimed an end to the long-running "counterterrorism" operation in the North Caucasus. Speaking in April, Medvedev announced that Kremlin military planners would initiate the withdrawal of thousands of troops from the area. Moscow has maintained a large military presence in the troubled territory since separatist forces in the Russian republic of Chechnya declared independence in 1994.
   The Russians have strong interests in the Northern Caucasus. These republics are transit routes for Central Asian oil and gas, and are considered vital to Moscow's defence policy.
   Recently, pro-Russian officials have been in talks with Chechen "rebels". The BBC had reported that representatives of Ramzan Kadyrov, the son of a former Chechen warlord who had fought against Moscow in the 1990s, had talks with Akhmed Zakayev in the Norwegian capital Oslo. The Norwegian hosts of the meeting said that the dialogue had been coordinated "with the highest leadership in the Kremlin."
   It is understood that it is very unlikely that the Kadyrov government in Grozny would enter into such talks, the first for eight years, without Moscow's benediction even though Chechnya is largely autonomous.
   Who is Zakayev? Zakayev claims to be the head of the Chechen government-in-exile. Zakayev and his followers are supposedly close to but distinct from the separatist militants still fighting in Chechnya. In 2007, Zakayev split from the Chechen separatist leader Doku Umarov, president of the self-declared Republic of Ichkeria (Chechnya). Umarov had declared that Chechnya should be ruled under Shariah law and that Western countries were the enemies of Islam. Zakayev, however, opposed this stance, favouring the building of ties with Western powers and rapprochement with more secular forces in Chechnya.
   The Chechen government, on the other hand, apparently focused on "the total political stabilization of the Chechen Republic and the final consolidation of Chechen society." Kadyrov has stated that Zakayev could safely return to Chechnya, where he should play a role "reviving Chechen culture."
   When asked by the BBC if he would take up this offer, Zakayev stated, "I will definitely return to the Chechen Republic and there are no conditions that I would impose on this."
   Moscow is acutely conscious of the previous role played by US foreign policy proponents in the Caucasus region and the pro-West "colour revolutions".
   In perusal to the recent summit with US President Barack Obama, Russian President Medvedev and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, it is significantly noticeable that a new partnership may be emerging. This is in exchange for Moscow's aiding of the war in Afghanistan. As an act of goodwill, prior to the summit in Moscow, President Medvedev gave permission for the US Air Force to fly across Russia en route to Afghanistan.
   Washington also appears to have conceded to the Russian interests in the ex-Soviet republic of Georgia, which borders Chechnya, Ingushetia and Dagestan. In a highly provocative move, shortly after Obama left Moscow, Medvedev visited South Ossetia, the breakaway Georgian province at the centre of the war between Moscow and the US-backed government in Tbilisi last year. This was like making a statement that Moscow seeks to consolidate its power in the province, and also in the other pro-Russian Georgian territory of Abkhazia and maybe not withdraw at all?
   
   Emerging new world order ?
   Before Bill Clinton's stunning diplomatic success in North Korea, the US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue took place in Washington. The US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue was actually established by the Bush administration to discuss financial issues with Beijing under former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. However, the recent meeting was upgraded by the Obama administration to include the State Department and the strategic issues that are looming large in US-China relations. US President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao agreed on holding the dialogue during April's G20 summit in London.
   Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner even wrote a joint piece in the Wall Street Journal, declaring: "Simply put, few global problems can be solved by the US or China alone. And few can be solved without the US and China together. The strength of the global economy, the health of the global environment, the stability of fragile states and the solution to non-proliferation challenges turn in large measure on cooperation between the US and China."
   Beijing sent its largest ever delegation to Washington, with 150 senior officials led by state councillor Dai Bingguo (in charge of foreign policy), vice premier Wang Qishan (who oversees the economy) and central bank chief, Zhou Xiaochuan. However none of the Chinese delegates were members of the most powerful Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Politburo Standing Committee.
   The US on the other hand was extremely high powered. It was headed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, along with Federal Reserve Board chairman Ben Bernanke. It is obvious how important the forum was to the US.
   And now Washington and Moscow...In July, leading European energy companies, backed by the European Union and the United States, signed an accord to construct a major new natural gas pipeline network from the Caspian Sea to Western Europe.
   The Nabucco pipeline, a 7.9 billion euro ($11 billion) project, will pass through Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary before terminating at a massive Austrian energy distribution centre. Government representatives from these countries signed the deal in the Turkish capital Ankara on July 13.
   The US was represented at the signing by Senator Richard Lugar. German energy firm RWE is also a major stakeholder in the project. The name of the pipeline, Nabucco, alludes to the Verdi opera, whose theme is freedom from bondage, reputedly a reference to Russia's domination over Central Asian gas supplies.
   The European Union (EU) was represented at the signing by the president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, who said: "Energy can help to establish new structural links between the EU, Turkey and the Caspian Sea states."
   Nabucco is expected to transit up to 31 billion cubic meters of natural gas a year from these sources to Austria from 2014. Russian Gazprom is planning its own new pipeline network in the region, called South Stream. The proposed route is to carry gas from Central Asia to Western Europe via Russia and the Balkans
   These are very interesting developments. While we are still struggling with our maritime borders! It is a fact that the Bay of Bengal has resources that could turn Bangladesh around for ever. However, everyone else too has their own eyes on it now.

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Holiday Report

The migrants should not be viewed as mere remittance machines but as human beings with rights and dignity, the speakers maintained at a national consultation on migrant policies and programmes.
   Speaking at the consultation meeting in the city last week, Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Mijarul Quayes said that although they contribute to the socio-economic development of the countries of destination and their origin, the migrants face manifold hurdles under the international protection regime. .
   The participants also urged the immediate ratification of the 1990 UN Convention on Migrant Workers. They called for substantial increase in budgetary allocation for better governance of migration sector. There is need for inter-ministerial coordination and partnership among all stakeholders, the speakers said.
   Organised by Refugee and Migratory Movement Research Unit (RMMRU) jointly with WARBE Development Foundation, Ain O Salish Kendra and Association for Community Development, the consultation meeting called upon the government to formulate appropriate policies and programmes so that the returnee migrants can access information about investment, bank credit, training skill and financial management.

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