U.S. policy in Central Asia
U.S. policy in countries of Central Asia, i.e. in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, includes several main components and probably the most important component is the work with local mass media.
Many information resources, which are in opposition to the governments
of these countries, are financed by various Western organizations, mainly US ones,
including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), by Open
Society Foundations (OSF), which is chaired by George Soros, by the National
Endowment for Democracy (NED) etc.
The last published report of the
NED includes information about hundreds of thousands US dollars which have been
granted for “promotion of independent media”, “support of anticorruption video investigations”,
for “protection of freedom of speech” and so on.
During 30 years, which passed since breakup of the USSR, a real Media Empire
was created by the U.S. in Central Asia. This Empire includes mass media,
social networks, individual activists, so-called opinion leaders, foreign sponsors,
and partners.
An important role is played also by the organization Internews, which has close ties with the U.S.
government; for example, Susan Rice had served on Internews' Board before she
was appointed as the National Security Advisor to President Obama.
The main office of Internews for Central Asia is situated in Tajikistan
where a so-called “Laboratory of media and social innovations” is conducted
every year for persons from Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Journalists from
Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are not invited to these events and that can be
explained by a stronger state control over foreign NGO’s – especially in the sphere
of mass media and formation of public opinion – in these countries. The projects
of Internews have a solid support of the USAID and other U.S. governmental organizations.
Young journalists and bloggers are taught, employed, financed and provided with
information. Their media products are advertised and promoted. They are
protected against law suits and law enforcement authorities.
And the main goal of these U.S. activities in the sphere of mass media
is to reduce influence of China and Russia in this region.
It should also be mentioned that both China and Russia have a large
number of migrant workers from Central Asia. And mass-media in Central Asian
languages have a considerable impact on these migrant workers, which influences
Chinese and Russian home-policy aspects too.
As for Russia, there is another important goal of the U.S. in Central Asia.
The U.S. government wants to isolate Russia from other members of the
Commonwealth of Independent States, which was created in 1991 instead of the
Soviet Union.
Earlier this year, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has met in Kazakhstan
with top diplomats from all 5 Central Asian nations and has tried to persuade
them to break ties with Russia.
And it is not only about persuasion.
Officials of the U.S. Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence have contacted the governments of the Central Asian nations and declared that the U.S. is worried about substantial growth of purchases, which the Central Asian countries began to make in Europe after Western countries had imposed sanctions on Russia. The U.S. officials suspect that European goods go to Russia via the Central Asian countries and the U.S. authorities warn the governments of these countries that the West can close its market for them.
In my opinion, it is worthy of notice that these warnings come exactly from the authority whose task is to fight against terrorism. Therefore, Washington
tries to make an image of Central Asia as a zone of international terrorism.
However, all U.S. efforts in Central Asia have not led to any significant
success so far.
Комментарии
Отправить комментарий