Porkins Policy Review

On this week’s episode Christoph Germann and I cover three major flash points in Central Asia and the Caucasus region:  We start by examining some of the recent developments in Afghanistan, beginning with the surge in opium cultivation and heroin production.  We discuss how this was always one of the main goals of the NATO-led invasion and how integral opium is to black operations such as Gladio B.  Next we take a look at a story which received almost no coverage in the mainstream media, the “invasion” of Afghanistan by neighboring Turkmenistan.  We look at why the Turkmen government decided to send in troops to the Faryab region of Afghanistan and what this means for the future of the nation, as well as the proposed TAPI natural gas pipeline.  We then explore the reality of the so-called “withdrawal” of US and NATO troops from the war-ravaged country. Christoph explains why there is no actual withdrawal, given the thousands upon thousands of remaining military contractors, a massive embassy and Obama’s’ quiet expansion of the US mission with each passing day.  We end the Afghanistan segment by taking a look at China’s increased involvement in the nation.  We look at the Chinese proposal to restart peace talks with the Taliban, and explore the notion that they could sway the Pakistanis to ease up their support for Taliban factions.

For our next segment we move to Kyrgyzstan and first take a look at that nation’s warm relations with Russia.  Christoph explains what the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union is, and why the Kyrgyz government has decided to join in.  Later we discuss recent actions the Kyrgyz government has taken against various western-funded NGO’s, including Freedom House and the George Soros-funded Advocacy Center for Human Rights.  Christoph explains why Kyrgyzstan is quite worried about these NGO’s “promoting democracy” in a country that saw two recent color revolutions orchestrated by western NGO’s.  We finish off by looking at Soros’ recent visit to the nation, as well as allegations that the State Department’s Tech Camp event could be a prelude to a Maidan-style “revolution.”

Our third segment takes a critical look at the recent firing of Georgian Defense minster Irakli Alasania, and at how this is being framed as some sort of reversal of Georgia’s pro-NATO Euro-Atlantic choice by Alasania, while the current regime is doing all it can to integrate faster into the NATO sphere.  Christoph and I discuss what this could mean for the future of the NATO-controlled nation, especially with the upcoming 2016 elections in Georgia.  We also look at billionaire oligarch Bidzina Ivanashvili and his control of Georgian politics.  We finish off the podcast by taking a look at the recent “killing” of infamous terrorist Samantha Lewthwaite in Eastern Ukraine and Tarkhan Batirashvili in Syria.  We both offer our perspectives on what the FSB and Russia may be trying to say with these  announced killings, and explain why neither of these figures is actually dead.