As with so many revolutions in former Eastern bloc countries, Kyrgyzstan’s Tulip Revolution has spectacularly turned on its own people.President Kurmanbek Bakiyev who came to power five years ago in a bloodless revolution replacing the corrupt Kremlin stooge Aksar Akayev is now hiding in his home in Jalalabad district in the southern ?Uzbek heartland.
Former foreign minister Roza Otunbayeva, who is now in charge and is heading the interim government in Bishkek, claims she is under increasing ‘popular pressure’ to try the ousted president. Maybe it’s a tactic by the country’s new leaders to pressure President Bakiyev to formally step down. Bakiyev has so far refused to resign insisting he’s still the elected president of the Central Asian republic. Also, there are fears that the deposed president might rally his allies and supporters to reclaim power with military force. Which is certain to lead to more violence and instability in the Central Asian Muslim country.
With a population of a little more than five million, Kyrgyzstan may not be a big player on the world stage. But its strategic location next to Afghanistan and Iran with the giants Russia and China rubbing for neighbours, Kyrgyzstan has long been the battleground of big powers. A part of former Soviet Union, the country is inextricably linked to Russia even today and is home to a large ?Russian population.
n the other hand, it is home to both Russian and US military bases. The US extensively used Kyrgyzstan to launch attacks on Afghanistan and provide logistical support to its forces in the country. For its part, the emerging China hasn’t been far behind in this game of making friends and influencing people in Bishkek.
What has happened in Kyrgyzstan over the past week may not have entirely to do with the games big powers have been playing in the neighbourhood. But nothing in this part of the world happens in total isolation of big powers. However, if Kyrgyzstan has to return to peace and stability, it needs the support and help from big powers, not their self-serving games or politics.
Little is known about the new rulers of the Central Asian nation. However, given the all-pervasive corruption of the ousted regime and the deteriorating political situation in the country, this change had long been coming. Ironically, Bakiyev who came to power as part of a popular anti-corruption movement, proved even more corrupt than ?his predecessor.
Let’s hope Bakiyev’s successors, or the new leaders of Kyrgyzstan, learn from the recent past and provide a clean, genuinely democratic and responsive government that the country so badly needs and deserves. In fact, the entire neighbourhood deserves better. Even though the Soviet Union is dead and the world has moved on, most Central Asian countries are still tragically stuck with the corrupt systems and apparatchiks from the communist era. With the power still concentrated in the hands of a few, political freedom is scarce. So you shouldn’t be surprised if there are more revolutions and counterrevolutions in the neighbourhood.
(Courtesy Khaleej Times)
Former foreign minister Roza Otunbayeva, who is now in charge and is heading the interim government in Bishkek, claims she is under increasing ‘popular pressure’ to try the ousted president. Maybe it’s a tactic by the country’s new leaders to pressure President Bakiyev to formally step down. Bakiyev has so far refused to resign insisting he’s still the elected president of the Central Asian republic. Also, there are fears that the deposed president might rally his allies and supporters to reclaim power with military force. Which is certain to lead to more violence and instability in the Central Asian Muslim country.
With a population of a little more than five million, Kyrgyzstan may not be a big player on the world stage. But its strategic location next to Afghanistan and Iran with the giants Russia and China rubbing for neighbours, Kyrgyzstan has long been the battleground of big powers. A part of former Soviet Union, the country is inextricably linked to Russia even today and is home to a large ?Russian population.
n the other hand, it is home to both Russian and US military bases. The US extensively used Kyrgyzstan to launch attacks on Afghanistan and provide logistical support to its forces in the country. For its part, the emerging China hasn’t been far behind in this game of making friends and influencing people in Bishkek.
What has happened in Kyrgyzstan over the past week may not have entirely to do with the games big powers have been playing in the neighbourhood. But nothing in this part of the world happens in total isolation of big powers. However, if Kyrgyzstan has to return to peace and stability, it needs the support and help from big powers, not their self-serving games or politics.
Little is known about the new rulers of the Central Asian nation. However, given the all-pervasive corruption of the ousted regime and the deteriorating political situation in the country, this change had long been coming. Ironically, Bakiyev who came to power as part of a popular anti-corruption movement, proved even more corrupt than ?his predecessor.
Let’s hope Bakiyev’s successors, or the new leaders of Kyrgyzstan, learn from the recent past and provide a clean, genuinely democratic and responsive government that the country so badly needs and deserves. In fact, the entire neighbourhood deserves better. Even though the Soviet Union is dead and the world has moved on, most Central Asian countries are still tragically stuck with the corrupt systems and apparatchiks from the communist era. With the power still concentrated in the hands of a few, political freedom is scarce. So you shouldn’t be surprised if there are more revolutions and counterrevolutions in the neighbourhood.
(Courtesy Khaleej Times)
