Kyrgyzstan Revolution?
Kyrgyzstan’s capital is under siege in a brutal riot that appears to have ousted Kurmanbek Bakiyev, the brutal leader who himself came to power in the Tulip Revolution.
Obviously, it’s a breaking news story but I’m keeping up with it as best I can at New Atlanticist: ”Kyrgyzstan Revolution Topples Government.”
Oh, and if your reaction is, “Who the hell cares about Kyrgyzstan?” recall that Manus Air Base is the key transit point for US and NATO resupply in Afghanistan.
Photo credit: Reuters Pictures.
Thanks for the update. Losing that air base would be a real inconvenience for us.
Steve
Hurry! Catch the first plane to Bishkek!
Barry Hussien’s Afghan war will be in even more trouble if the dimwits from Borat-ville stage a coup.
Kyrgyzstan matters. Like Uzbekistan, Bakiyev’s regime was not particularly cozy with Iran. Hopefully, this revolution can come full circle without sacrificing the relatively secular political environment they’ve been able to maintain since the collapse of the USSR, something Turkmenistan and Tajikistan have not been able to do. Thankfully, unlike the Tajiks, Tehran has little overt influence with Kyrgyzstan, though obviously the nuclear card adds a new wrinkle.
As far as revolutions go, this one was pretty quiet. Friends in Bishkek say that Bakiyev is gone and no onw knows where he is. His family home has been looted and burned, and an interim opposition government is being seated. Good news is a new interior minister has been appointed, so during the day, the police should still be effective. Interesting to see what our pals in Moscow will say and do.