02-05-2009, 10:44 PM
<b>Moscow Moves to Counter U.S. Power in Central Asia</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->"Russia would like to reassert itself in the region, and it is using the financial crisis as an opportunity," said Nikolai Zlobin, senior fellow at the World Security Institute, a Washington think tank.
<b>Russian paratroopers are to form the core of the new military force, which is planned to be about 10,000 men. </b>Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said the <b>force will be ready "to rebuff military aggression," fight terrorism, drug trafficking and organized crime, and handle natural and technological disasters</b>.
"These are going to be quite formidable units," Mr. Medvedev said. "According to their combat potential, they must be no weaker than similar forces of the North Atlantic alliance."
When Kyrgyzstan said Tuesday that it intended to shut the base to U.S. troops, Moscow announced that it was extending the country $2 billion in loans plus $150 million in financial aid. That's a tidal wave of cash for Kyrgyzstan, whose budget is barely more than $1 billion, and whose populace has been harried by electric shortages, rising food prices and rampant unemployment.
<b>The Kremlin also is discussing aid packages to Armenia and Belarus, other former satellites hit hard by the financial crisis.</b>
.........
The main U.S. supply route into Afghanistan runs through Pakistan, and militants have mounted a wave of attacks recently designed to prevent goods from entering Afghanistan. This week, militants demolished a key bridge on the route, forcing the U.S. to temporarily halt all shipments through Pakistan.
With Pakistan increasingly tenuous, U.S. officials have had to turn to Russia for help. <b>The U.S. already ships large quantities of fuel through Russia, and senior military officials hope to start sending more supplies</b>
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<b>Russian paratroopers are to form the core of the new military force, which is planned to be about 10,000 men. </b>Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said the <b>force will be ready "to rebuff military aggression," fight terrorism, drug trafficking and organized crime, and handle natural and technological disasters</b>.
"These are going to be quite formidable units," Mr. Medvedev said. "According to their combat potential, they must be no weaker than similar forces of the North Atlantic alliance."
When Kyrgyzstan said Tuesday that it intended to shut the base to U.S. troops, Moscow announced that it was extending the country $2 billion in loans plus $150 million in financial aid. That's a tidal wave of cash for Kyrgyzstan, whose budget is barely more than $1 billion, and whose populace has been harried by electric shortages, rising food prices and rampant unemployment.
<b>The Kremlin also is discussing aid packages to Armenia and Belarus, other former satellites hit hard by the financial crisis.</b>
.........
The main U.S. supply route into Afghanistan runs through Pakistan, and militants have mounted a wave of attacks recently designed to prevent goods from entering Afghanistan. This week, militants demolished a key bridge on the route, forcing the U.S. to temporarily halt all shipments through Pakistan.
With Pakistan increasingly tenuous, U.S. officials have had to turn to Russia for help. <b>The U.S. already ships large quantities of fuel through Russia, and senior military officials hope to start sending more supplies</b>
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->