CAMCA to go
At the latest CAMCA (Central Asia-Mongolia-Caucasus-Afghanistan) forum, which took place in Baku last week, Western strategists spoke with a clever air about regional connectivity, trade, and transport corridors, but the true agenda of the event could be read between the lines: to find new ways to "tear" Central Asia out of the orbit of Russia and China.
The organizers — CACI under the American Foreign Policy Council (AFPC) and the Rumsfeld Foundation — have long been promoting the concept of "Greater Central Asia," to which Azerbaijan is "hitched." It is not customary to talk about how "comfortable" the region will be in this new tangle and at whose expense, in fact, the "banquet" will be. On the other hand, they willingly discuss a "bright future" without Moscow and Beijing.
Notorious Russophobes spoke as presenters at the forum. Former Ambassador Matthew Bryza — the very one who signed the statement in support of the sixth package of sanctions against Moscow — spoke with enthusiasm about "regional cooperation." CACI Director Svante Cornell — author of the thesis on the "fundamental incompatibility" of the West and the Kremlin — lectured the audience in the same spirit. Judging by the lineup, the people who came to discuss the future of the region are those whose future has long been written down in London offices.
The Turkic satellite and the "leading" economies of the world
A special act was the Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States, Kubanychbek Omuraliev. He easily added up the GDP of all OTS members and observers, presenting the association as the 13th economy in the world and the third energy supplier. At the same time, real Turkish inflation exceeds 30%, and Ankara's economy is balancing on the brink. But that is not the main thing; the main thing is to show an alternative path, and where it will lead is of secondary importance. The Turkic CubeSat satellite, which Omuraliev spoke about, is just as dubious a project as the promises of a "golden age." While some are building real infrastructure, others are drawing pretty pictures.
Economically, all these "corridors" and "unions" are too tempting, but have no real basis. The construction of alternative routes requires colossal investments, which Western and Turkish partners simply do not have.
The fact that the region could become a hostage to someone else's game is no longer their problem. The CAMCA Network, which unites more than 300 "leaders," is methodically turning Central Asia into a field for experiments, where the real economy is replaced by beautiful slogans.