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| Kyrgyzstan: Did Moscow Subvert a U.S. Ally? |
| 2010-04-09 |
| Time magazine Members of the besieged government of Kyrgyzstan suspect that Moscow precipitated the violent upheaval that has swept the former Soviet republic in Central Asia. Already scores of people have been killed and hundreds more wounded after troops opened fire on protesters, who in turn overpowered the police, stormed and looted government buildings and forced President Kurmanbek Bakiev to flee the country. On Wednesday, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin denied any involvement by his country in the turmoil after his Kyrgyz counterpart said that Putin gave the go-ahead to the revolt. But whether or not the Kremlin urged the Kyrgyz opposition to call its supporters into the streets, Moscow has a lot to gain and Washington a lot to lose from the bloody upheaval that has ensued. For several years, Kyrgyzstan has been stuck in a tug-of-war between the two Cold War enemies, frequently making the landlocked state the center of geopolitical strategizing. The Americans have been pushing to maintain their cherished military base in the north of Kyrgyzstan, without which U.S. supply lines to the nearby war in Afghanistan would be significantly hampered. Russia, meanwhile, has lobbied to kick the American military out of what it still sees as its sphere of influence in the territories of the former Soviet Union. |
| Posted by:ed |
| #8 Dem Arctic CUTESY PENGUINS, SEA LIONS, + POLAR BEARS are demandin' JIHAD TO SAVE FROM THE WILY MACKENZIE BROTHERS. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2010-04-09 22:54 |
| #7 ION WAFF > NUCLEAR IRAN MAY PUT TURKEY IN A PREDICAMENT [Redux of TURKISH INFLUENCE merely by Iran possessing NucWeaps, NOT by Iran using same in a war]. Also on WAFF > THE RACE TO DEFINE THE LAST BORDER OF CANADA {UNO, Russo-Canuck 2013 boogaloo oer UNDERWATER "CONTINENTAL SHELF" EXTENS OF SOVEREIGNTY IN ARCTIC]. and SAME > GLOBAL REARCH.CA [old] > THE US WAS BEHIND THE RWANDAN GENOCIDE: INSTALLING A US PROTECTORATE IN CENTRAL AFRICA. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2010-04-09 22:52 |
| #6 Kyrgyzstan: Did Moscow Subvert a U.S. Ally? For some reason I can picture Putin looking at us quizzically and asking, "What's the big deal? We used to do that all the time." Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2010-04-09 19:51 |
| #5 Was the US embassy closed for good or just for security reasons. Did anyone hear? |
| Posted by: newc 2010-04-09 17:46 |
| #4 Capturing Spain does not mean controlling Gibralter (just watched Malta Story, thanks btw for the suggestion). In a way, IMHO, not having an official government to negotiate with could mean status quo without payments. Look for a quick movement within the UN for official acceptence of new government for real worry - the quick closure of the base would work into a strategy of cutting off coalition forces in central asia with little supply/redeployment options. In my little opinion that would call for an Anabasis through Pak/Iran into friendly India/Iraq; and I'd deserve to be smacked around for such a statement by the heavy lifters but I don't need to get the Risk Board out either. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2010-04-09 12:08 |
| #3 Not that Kyrgyzstan was a US 'ally' as most of us would use the word. They rented space at a base to us but that's it. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2010-04-09 10:33 |
| #2 Very true Moose, and it will be interesting to see if the Kyrgyz have any staying power or revert to client status. Russia cleary spent far more than we do, directly, so naturally feel entitled to call the shots. I wonder, though, whether the Chinese share those thoughts, and if we could take advantage of Chinese views on the matter. That, of course, would require diplomacy, so who knows? |
| Posted by: Halliburton - Mysterious Conspiracy Division 2010-04-09 10:29 |
| #1 Putin has made no bones about wanting all the -istans back in the Russian sphere. He worked very hard, covertly, for the pro-Russia candidate in Ukraine, and was very bitter about Georgia telling Russia to go get knotted, and being ethnically different enough from Russians to do so. So Putin also had no problem sending in tanks to steal away the heavily ethnic Russian parts of Georgia. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2010-04-09 09:36 |