Crossroads Region an Economic Key

The war in Iraq is the current challenge facing coalition forces, but forging stability in Iraq, Afghanistan and neighboring central Asia may prove even more daunting, says Dr. Nozar Alaolmolki. The central Asian scholar addressed attendees of the Sixth Annual Great Lakes Non-Ferrous Metals Conference, hosted in Cleveland by Ronald McGrainor of futures merchant Refco LLC

The region—consisting of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and neighboring provinces in China, India, Iran and Afghanistan—is rich in both oil and minerals.

While the Islamic fundamentalism that first swept Iran and that has moved onto other regions has gained the attention of American diplomats and business executives, discontent also threatens the former Soviet republics, says Alaolmolki.

The central Asian countries were absorbed by Russia in the 19th century and remained under Soviet domination throughout most of the 20^th century. Their “Russification” was fairly thorough, with nomadic lifestyles largely replaced by socialism.

With the collapse of socialism, people in these countries “want to see tangible evidence of changes to their lifestyles,” says Alaolmolki, especially improvements in their living conditions.

American and western European oil and minerals companies have a direct interest in what happens in the region, but so do Americans overall, Alaolmolki contends.

He noted that the government in China has forestalled political reform while delving into economic reform. In the short term, this has provided stability.

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Discover how SSI’s innovative M120 EX Dual-Shear® shredder is revolutionizing recycling with its unique stacked chamber design and SmartFeed® technology—delivering powerful, space-efficient, and adaptive shredding for hard-to-process materials like plastics, metals, and fishing nets. Watch the video and read the full article to see this next-generation shredder in real-world operations.

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Discover how SSI’s innovative M120 EX Dual-Shear® shredder is revolutionizing recycling with its unique stacked chamber design and SmartFeed® technology—delivering powerful, space-efficient, and adaptive shredding for hard-to-process materials like plastics, metals, and fishing nets. Watch the video and read the full article to see this next-generation shredder in real-world operations.

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Shredding tough materials with a small footprint

Discover how SSI’s innovative M120 EX Dual-Shear® shredder is revolutionizing recycling with its unique stacked chamber design and SmartFeed® technology—delivering powerful, space-efficient, and adaptive shredding for hard-to-process materials like plastics, metals, and fishing nets. Watch the video and read the full article to see this next-generation shredder in real-world operations.

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Shredding tough materials with a small footprint

Discover how SSI’s innovative M120 EX Dual-Shear® shredder is revolutionizing recycling with its unique stacked chamber design and SmartFeed® technology—delivering powerful, space-efficient, and adaptive shredding for hard-to-process materials like plastics, metals, and fishing nets. Watch the video and read the full article to see this next-generation shredder in real-world operations.