This Week I Learned...

         In an effort to help me get a fix on some of the things I read over the week, I'm going to start writing up a few quick thoughts to summarize what I've gone over. Hopefully some of you will find it interesting and might see something that slipped by you over a busy week. I look forward to hearing your thoughts, and probably mentioning some things that slipped by me. Enjoy!

          By now everyone is aware that Russia is reasserting itself, and attempting to regain the clout that they once held. But Russia’s plans go a lot farther than simply stirring the pot in the middle east and upending the pot in Ukraine.  No one, for the foreseeable future,  is going to challenge the U.S. for the role of World Superpower. It is a role that, for the moment, everyone is content to leave to the U.S. What some nations, notably Russia and China, do want is to be Regional Superpowers.

                Russia has been taking several steps to strengthen its position, beyond locking up a strategically vital harbor in the Crimea. Perhaps the most interesting step is the creation of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU),  which is based on and is designed to compete with the EU. Set to come on line January 1, 2015, the EEU currently consists of Russia, Kazakhstan, Armenia, and Belarus.

 Also set to join is Kyrgyzstan, a small nation that sits between China and Kazakhstan, though its government is less than excited about the prospect. The sanctions imposed on Russia for its actions in Ukraine have hit the surrounding nations hard, and Kyrgyzstan is also facing a sever energy crisis, forcing the nation into accepting Russia's overtures.

                Russia has also been reaching out to North Korea. Choe Ryong-hae, reportedly the number two man in North Korea, wrapped up a series of meetings with Russian leaders this week. Russia is looking to run a gas pipeline and a power line though the North and into South Korea. Besides giving Russia another market for its energy, this would add to the list of countries who depend, to some extent, on Russia for their power. Much of the EU is heavily dependent on Russia for oil and gas, and this provides Putin a valuable asset in diplomatic disagreements. North Korea is trying to lessen its heavy dependence on China, and Russia appears happy to oblige.

                Russia was one of the few nations to come out of World War II with not only the military machine and diplomatic clout to be a Superpower, but also the appetite to fight for it. After the collapse of the USSR, the clout and machine disappeared, but the appetite did not. As I said above, no one really wants to be The Superpower, but as growing nations continue to modernize and grow, so will their desire to become dominate voices in their regions.