Kazakhstan Calls for a Russia-Free Defense Bloc in Central Asia

A diplomat before he became a politician, Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev has mastered the art of getting a timely message across while leaving his audience pondering what the message means. His call last week for closer defense cooperation among Central Asian countries is a case in point.The proposal didn't go unnoticed by the pro-Kremlin commentariat in Russia, which sees Central Asian security as well within its sphere of privileged interests, despite the war in Ukraine.And it won a ringing endorsement from a pro-government media outlet…