http://registan.net/index.php/2007/09/25/pushing-influence/ Central Asia News -- All Central Asia, All The Time Sun, 12 Feb 2012 23:53:13 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://registan.net/index.php/2007/09/25/pushing-influence/comment-page-1/#comment-375612 Joshua Foust Wed, 26 Sep 2007 17:21:10 +0000 http://www.registan.net/index.php/2007/09/25/pushing-influence/#comment-375612 Her argument is pretty fuzzy, but it amounts to the same thing Pai is talking about: Russia searching for ways to influence (maybe coerce?) its neighbors and former vassals. Seen in that light, it's not impossible to imagine they'd play games with grain prices to do so. Her argument is pretty fuzzy, but it amounts to the same thing Pai is talking about: Russia searching for ways to influence (maybe coerce?) its neighbors and former vassals. Seen in that light, it’s not impossible to imagine they’d play games with grain prices to do so.

]]> http://registan.net/index.php/2007/09/25/pushing-influence/comment-page-1/#comment-375608 Nathan Wed, 26 Sep 2007 02:06:10 +0000 http://www.registan.net/index.php/2007/09/25/pushing-influence/#comment-375608 I don't understand the how of Panfilova's idea. Grain prices are up worldwide. Kazakhstan is expected to have <a href="http://jamestown.org/edm/article.php?article_id=2372421" rel="nofollow">a huge grain surplus</a> this year, yet they're paying higher prices there as well because of global demand. I'm wondering if she's suggesting that Russia would subsidize grain for Central Asian states, but it hasn't shown much interest in subsidizing its neighbors' energy consumption lately, so I'm a bit skeptical. I don’t understand the how of Panfilova’s idea. Grain prices are up worldwide. Kazakhstan is expected to have a huge grain surplus this year, yet they’re paying higher prices there as well because of global demand. I’m wondering if she’s suggesting that Russia would subsidize grain for Central Asian states, but it hasn’t shown much interest in subsidizing its neighbors’ energy consumption lately, so I’m a bit skeptical.

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