Why Russia must be strong

Russia’s new assertiveness in the Central Asian geopolitical theater has been frequently noticed and analyzed in the past few years. Moscow’s national-security strategy, summed up by Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov in an article in the Wall Street Journal in January (“Russia must be strong”), can be directly correlated with Russian strategic and economic interests in the broad area encompassing the South Caucasus, the Caspian Sea and the Central Asian republics.

..To put it briefly, present-day geopolitical structures explain why Central Asia and the Caspian Sea will be affected by this Russian doctrine. These regions are crucial to Moscow’s military security and control over fossil resources.

..On this political and strategic stage, the role of the Caspian Sea is crucial. Russia’s efforts to enhance its own influence over the “big lake” are easily understood: energy security and geostrategy appear once more tightly linked to one another.

Asia Times