Nursultan “The Thumb” Nazarbayev Gets the Bush Red Carpet
No one will notice how the Bush administration kisses these dictators on both cheeks except the people who live there--or near there--or around there. Only a quarter-billion or so Muslims. That's what makes it such terribly dangerous politics.
Okay, I admit the nickname The Thumb is my own invention, selected for the inarguable reason that Nazarbayev has the people of Kazakhstan as ‘under’ as his thumb will allow.
Which is considerable for this blast-furnace operator turned communist figurehead-of-the-moment in 1990. Since then, it's been sixteen years of clear sailing. He’s stolen and corrupted and intimidated his way to successive ‘elections’ in the former Soviet satellite of some 15 million. These subjects of his are all citizens of one of the more lively ‘wild-east’ stans that make up a politically and energy-rich group of increasing interest to Washington.
Interesting enough to rate a dinner at the White House, a pull out the stops celebration between oil-needer and oil-producer. He…