Kazakhstan: US, NATO seek Military Outpost between Russia and China‎ http://usa.mediamonitors.net/content/view/full/73497

"If developments proceed in the manner they are headed, the Afghan war will secure for the Pentagon and NATO a bulwark in the heart of Eurasia and a permanent military presence in a country bordering almost 5,000 miles of Russian and Chinese territory, far broader in scope than comparable plans for Mongolia."