Russia and the Caspian: The New Middle East. Part IV in a series

Now that we've discussed just why the region is so important, who's involved and how, and the major outside players, we can better understand Russia's involvement in the Caspian region.

And just in time too. Russia is doing some big-time schmoozing with some Caspian folks to try to save the Commonwealth of Independent States defense structure. The CIS acts much like the Organization of American States - where "American" refers to the entire Western Hemisphere (that is, North, Central and South America). No prize for guessing that the US plays an - ahem - influential role in this organization, and that includes supplying the bulk of the military power for - ahem - peacekeeping operations. Well, the same is pretty much the case for the CIS, except that Russia actually used to directly rule these countries, which can increase - or decrease - her legitimacy there.

The current term for the relevant agreements expires on April 15, and as I mentioned in my previous article, some Caspian leaders are insisting on serious changes as a condition for signing on.

Boris Berezovsky - the Kremlin tycoon of whom I have written earlier - may have been kicked off the Security Council, but he still plays a leading role in Russia's foreign policy as CIS Executive Secretary. As I write this, he's taking a tour of the various member capitals, trying to drum up support. So far, he's visited Tbilisi, Georgia and Yerevan, Armenia. After talking with Georgian President Edward Shevardnadze, Berezovsky said, among other things, that if Georgia does not want to remain in the pact, that is a reflection of the pact's inadequacy and constitutes a problem for the entire Commonwealth. Along those lines, Georgian Foreign Minister Irakli Menagharishvili indicated that Georgia had not yet written off the treaty and may be willing to stay in depending on the extent and nature of changes therein. They may have something to do with Russia's peacekeeping and related functions: Berezovsky discussed with Shevardnadze, among other things, the problem of Georgian refugees from Abkhazia.

In Yerevan, Berezovsky held talks with Armenian President Robert Kocharian, including among other things his proposals for replacing the current CIS with a free trade zone. Berezovsky said that perhaps the best model for the CIS would be the European Union, and that the CIS could still be viable as such a grouping even if all its members declined to participate in its defense structure.

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