Will Central Asia be the graveyard of the Empire?
Kazakhstan's withdrawal from CIS agreement is a blow to Russia's imperialist fantasies
Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia has maintained its imperialist fantasy through successor structures such as the CIS, CSTO and EAEU. It is odd how the legacies of the British Empire such as the monarchy and the Commonwealth are consistently scrutinised and condemned, whereas Russia is allowed to maintain the fantasies of a far bloodier imperial history.
Kazakhstan, which experienced unrest earlier this year, has progressively distanced itself from Russia since the invasion of Ukraine began. And other “post-Soviet” states have been careful not to be seen as supporting Russian aggression, mindful of the sentiments of their own populations. Belarus, effectively a colony of Russia, is the lone exception. The domestic legitimacy of Central Asian presidents rests in no small part to keeping their countries out of external conflicts, given their strategic and cultural importance.
Whether Tsarist, Soviet or Putin rule, Russian imperial policy has remained essentially unchanged for 500 years - a rapacious policy of extracting resources and keeping the territories of the empire impoverished and enslaved. This applies both to non-Russian and Russian territories far away from Moscow within the present-day borders of the Russian Federation.
The final defeat and dismemberment of this imperial model will be in the interests of world peace. Kazakhstan’s rejection of these schemes, as much as the heroic fight of Ukrainians to preserve their nation, could be the graveyard of Empire. The Central Asian states - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan - must see there is no future in being chained to a Satanic corpse. Closer ties with MENA and the Indian Subcontinent, especially once Iran is free from Islamic Republic rule, will be infinitely more desirable and a return to history.
The Central Asian republics will be joined by the territories which will break free from Moscow’s rule in the Caucasus, Volga, and beyond.