VIP Visit (to Kazakhstan)

Noviy Vestnik ^ | October 6th, 2004

[struwwelpeter]

Twelve high-ranking military officials and diplomats, from various countries, came to Karaganda last week

The armed forces representatives came from Great Britain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, China, USA, Japan, Syria, Germany, and Peru - all students of the English Royal College of Defense Studies. The annual course is conducted in Great Britain, where these strategists are sent by their governments, and there they study the causes of world conflicts. Nine months of studies are carried out at college, after which the students go abroad in order to see things with their own eyes.

They travelled through Kazakhstan for about week, and met with our ministers and city administrators. In Karaganda they visited the Ispat-Karmet, where city boss Yuriy Livinov presented the guests with statuettes of Suyunshi and showed a film about our city.

After the movie, the guests were left to the journalists. These men of various races and ages, all dressed extremely well, sat in a row at a long table and displayed polite smiles. Only our city administrator Yuriy Mikhailovich seemed to rejoice from the soul, as he sat in the center and expressed his sincere greetings to the high-ranking guests. The senior-most member of the group, fifty-three year old English politician Nicholas Armor, spoke for the group.

"The college has been at work for 77 years, a bit longer than Karaganda has existed," he began. "About 30 years ago we began to bring in students from countries which outside the United Kingdom. During the year, we study movements which are occurring in the world. A majority of us have spent our lives trying to achieve victory in any conflict, but now, as we are come closer to actually managing our countries, we are attempting to create conditions such that these conflicts do not arise."

The Englishman praised Karaganda and Kazakhstan, and, in farewell, he said that the students seated in the hall with him would very soon assume the highest posts of government in their respective countries, and then "they'll remember their Karaganda lessons." Everyone found it pleasant to be in such close proximity to these important persons.

After Kazakhstan, the strategists will visit Russia and Georgia.

[struwwelpeter]

Boondoggle? Or something nefarious? Perhaps related to this?

[Boiler Plate]

It is similar to the old WC Fields line "1st prize is a weekend in Philadelphia and 2nd prize is a week".

The big city in Kazakhstan is Almaty (pr. Amaty). We affectionately referred to the place as Krappistan when I was at Comsat.

[struwwelpeter]

Ping

[Askel5]

=== Only our city administrator Yuriy Mikhailovich seemed to rejoice from the soul


Been a lot of that lately among former Soviet bureaucrats, no? =)

Thanks for the ping (and the linkage). Very interesting.

I'm kinda surprised the Chinese are playing ball with the plebes. Down at Eglin and Escambia county, it's big news -- front page of the Local Section splash -- when the former Soviets are out at the base for training or part of some "foreign exchange" program with the Sheriff's department.

But you can have enough Chicom brass to fill the dining room at Hunan's and not a word of it in the papers. One of my good friends, the ex-Air Force officer, still thinks that was strange.