A glimpse into the world of Putin by Patrick Seale
What is it like to be the President of Russia? What are Vladimir Putin's priorities? What are his major concerns? His hectic schedule this past week throws some light on the problems facing the ruler of a country 1.8 times the size of the United States. Let us begin on Monday, November 14, when, with great pomp and ceremony, Putin received Uzbekistan's president, Islam Karimov, at the Kremlin.
The two men signed a strategic treaty which draws Uzbekistan the most important country of Central Asia with a population of 26.4 million and large oil, gas and gold deposits back into the Russian orbit. This development illustrates Moscow's keen interest in regaining a dominant influence over the former Soviet republics of Central Asia, which broke away when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, and which were then the target of American penetration. The new treaty opens the door to a renewed Russian military presence in Uzbekistan and slams the door on an American presence. This past summer Karimov gave the US six months in which to evacuate its base at Karsi-Khanabad, close to the Afghan frontier.
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