LEBANON FINDS A PRESIDENT
Lebanon’s warring political factions appear to have finally settled upon a consensus candidate to fill the vacated post of president. The Western-backed “March 14th” bloc and the Iranian and Syrian-backed coalition led by Hezbollah had been locked in a political and constitutional crisis for weeks, with each group denying the other’s candidate a majority in parliament. The deadlock has finally been broken, however, with all parties involved – including the United States and Syria – settling upon General Michael Suleiman, the commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, who is widely respected as both a pragmatist and a political moderate. A significant constitutional hurdle still needs to be cleared to allow for a “grade-one” public servant to serve in the office of the president, but most expect Suleiman to take the reigns of power sometime next year. (Beirut Daily Star, November 29, 2007)
CAMPAIGNING IN KYRGYZSTAN
The U.S. military has initiated an intensive campaign to win “hearts and minds” among the citizens of Kyrgyzstan, home to a critical American air force base. The “soft-power” strategy has emerged in response to local tensions over fuel-dumping and several fatal accidents involving U.S. military personnel, as well as pressure from Russia and China, both of whom are uncomfortable with the extended U.S. military presence in their geopolitical backyards.
The strategy reportedly involves small-scale development projects and volunteer activities to show “Americans really do care about the Kyrgyz people and culture,” explains Air Force Colonel Don Berchoff. Money, of course, plays a role as well, with aid to the former Soviet republic now tallied at some $150 million a year. (eurasianet.org, December 4, 2007)
T URKMENISTAN REVERTS TO TYPE
Dashing hopes that it will pursue a more open domestic policy than its predecessor, the government of Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov has ordered the removal of private satellite dishes in the country’s capital, Ashgabat. Officially citing the need to clean up the skyline and make Ashgabat a “prettier” city, government officials have instead proposed installing a “single powerful dish” to each apartment complex. The move has confirmed the suspicions of some concerning the Turkmen president’s political outlook. “I am becoming more confident that Berdymukh-ammedov is not a liberal at all… there are no serious changes” from his predecessor, says Oleg Panfilov of Moscow’s Center for Journalism in Extreme Situations. (Radio Free Europe, December 5, 2007)
MOSCOW FLEXES ITS MEDITERRANEAN MUSCLE
Russia has deployed a naval task force to the Mediterranean Sea, marking the Kremlin’s first significant strategic presence in the region in years. The 11-ship group will include Russia’s only aircraft carrier, a guided missile cruiser, 47 aircraft, and two anti-submarine ships, among other assets.
Yet Moscow’s increasingly assertive military posture – including the resumption of long-range strategic bomber flights earlier this year – belies a hollow military plagued by “rampant corruption, inefficiency and poor morale,” according to a group of independent military experts. Despite Russian President Vladimir Putin’s public commitment to major increases in the country’s defense budget, however, “a lack of funding [so far has] resulted in ships and submarines rusting away in the docks and berths” and “the Kremlin also has failed to deliver on its promises to modernize arsenals” to date. (Associated Press, December 6, 2007)