Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev's consolidation of power has made his country strong and stable, but a looming succession has sparked infighting and a possible crisis.
A report that Russia has moved missiles to its borders with NATO member states comes amid divisions within NATO and tensions between the West and Russia over missile defense.
Russia wants to form an understanding with Germany, France, Turkey and Poland to prevent these regional forces from interfering with its plans in the former Soviet sphere.
Russia considers several countries in its periphery to be important but not critical. They are also easy to control, making them less of a focus for Moscow.
After Russia consolidates control over the countries vital to its national security, it will turn to another set of countries where it would like to have greater influence.
