Evidently, there has been a massive breakdown in US diplomacy in Central Asia. Things were going rather well lately until this setback. For the first time it seemed Washington had succeeded in the Great Game by getting a grip on the Kyrgyz regime, though the achievement involved a cold-blooded jettisoning of all norms of democracy, human rights and rule of law that the US commonly champions. By all accounts, Washington just bought up the Bakiyev family lock stock and barrel, overlooking its controversial record of misuse of office.
According to various estimates, the Bakiyev family became a huge beneficiary of contracts dished out by the Pentagon ostensibly for providing supplies to the US air base in Manas near the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek.
Read the entire article at:
Asia Times Online: Central Asian news and current affairs, Russia, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan - (April 10, 2010)
My notes:
(1) Russia supports the new "government." Russia promises more than two billion dollars in aid and loans.
(2) The US supported Bakiyev's government. The US had made a "deal" with Kurmanbek Bakiyev's government to pay more more "rent" for the American Manas military base located in Kyrgystan.
(3) US troop flights at Kyrgyz base suspened - (April 9, 2010) Instead transport forces to and from Afghanistan will go through Kuwait.
(4) After parliamentary elections in 2005, President Askar Akayev and his government were overthrown. They had been accused of being corrupt. This revolution was called the Tulip Revolution.
Kyrgzstan to shut key NATO base
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