Russia has been eerily quiet of late. Has anyone heard anything?

[DagmarK]

What they might be up to?

Or is Putin just sitting back watching the show?????

[I AM SPARTACUS]

1. In LBN: USA Focuses on Kazakhstan

(yes, I know that Russia and Kazakhstan are two different nations...)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=33443&mesg_id=33443&page=

USA Focuses on Kazakhstan

Is it possible that Washington and Brussels want to strengthen the presence in Central Asia, including Kazakhstan?
According to the Foreign Ministry of Kazakhstan, the fact that the USA recognized Kazakhstan as a country satisfying the requirements of the US Congress applied to democratization and human rights means that "the USA keeps on rendering official aid to the country." Some time ago the situation was rather hard: early this summer the USA listed Kazakhstan among 92 countries where human rights were violated. It is strange that now, just in less than two months since the country was blacklisted, it is said that everything is OK with democracy in Kazakhstan. Is it possible that the situation there could improved so quickly?

Meanwhile, at the beginning of the year western mass media focused on an investigation that was called "Kazahkgate". The scandal was as following: management of the Exxon-Mobil oil company was blamed for bribing high-ranking Kazakh officials in the mid-1990s with a view to attain profitable contracts for development of oil fields. The contracts for development of oil fields were obtained through the mediation of James Giffen, the owner of the Mercator commercial bank in New York. As the investigation insists, James Giffen pumped money through false companies registered at the British Virgin Islands to Swiss bank accounts held by Kazakhstan top management. The sum made up at least $78 million. No names of the management were named at that; however as Forbes reported the bank accounts were said to be controlled by Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev personally, members of his family and people of his close circle. Once James Giffen was a private advisor to President Nazarbayev and was awarded several governmental decorations for his activity. What is more, alluding to the sovereignty Kazakhstan refused to provide documents concerning the bribery to American investigators.

[Rocinante]

2. He's

got to be just giggling his ass off at Chimpy & Co. Putin is smart as hell and probably saw it coming all along.

[cog_diss]

3. they've got their own terrists

to suppress. They are on a final push to win the hearts and minds of the Chechens.