This is CBSI in the world. I'm John Datsun with my colleague Gregory Copley. He is traveling.

He's in Europe. But I found him and I obliged him to come in on Nagorno-Karabakh. The

events in these last days have left the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh that has

been there 30 years, leaving in great number, perhaps 80% have left, with no cause other

than to say we fear ethnic cleansing. There is no evidence of that according to the

UN and other observers in the early hours. There's a display of the weaponry that the

separatist movement has been holed up with all these decades. And there were more than

190 casualties, KIA of Azerbaijan in the recent conflict showing that this wasn't about

a peaceful Nagorno-Karabakh. Setting all that aside, where are we strategically?

Gregory, is this exposing the limits of Russian power that I'm told according to AP, the

Russian peacekeepers are standing on a balcony watching the exodus and watching the arrival

of the UN. As Russia reached its limits in the South Caucasus.

Quite the country, it's actually moved to a much more dynamic phase. It's yes, it is

tamped down, it's up to an extent. It's unequivocal support for Armenia, because the Armenians

themselves have proven to be unhelpful even for their own country. They basically sponsor

this conflict with Azerbaijan over the last 30 plus years. But right now, the reason that

Russia has not limited its support for Armenia, but increased its friendship with Azerbaijan

is that Azerbaijan has become a critical link in Russia's international north-south transit

corridor that is providing the riverine ship traffic from St. Petersburg on the Baltic.

Right down through Moscow and down the river systems to the Caspian Sea and then down through

Dagestan and Azerbaijan to link up with the Iranian rail system and then over to Bandar Abbas

on the Straits and Formos and then by sea to India. This is Russia breaking out into the

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