After Ukraine Is Kazakhstan Next?

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Kazakhstan May Be The Next Ukraine -- Richard Lourie, Moscow Times

After a lapse of more than a century, the Great Game has begun again — in Kiev of all places.

In the 19th century, the Great Game was the rivalry between the British and Russian empires for Central Asia. England was wary that Russia's relentless expansion would one day threaten the jewel in the imperial crown, India. Both sides vied to dominate Central Asia's markets.

The game went into a state of suspension during Soviet times. Some commentators spoke of a new Great Game after the Soviet collapse and the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, but that was more romanticism than realism. There was a jockeying among Russia, China and the U.S. for markets, resources and military bases, but what was lacking was any grand geopolitical design or strategic imperative. All that changed with Kiev.

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My Comment: Kazakhstan is a massive country .... approximately the size of western Europe .... it also has a small population where Russians are predominant in the northern and western parts of the country. But is this the next domino to fall .... I doubt it. The country is stable and prosperous .... and unlike most of it's central Asian neighbors that are embroiled with ethnic tensions or the rise of Islamic extremism .... Kazakhstan has stayed away from such conflicts.