Kyrgyz Government Overthrown by Protesters

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan is not a typographical error. It is the site of the latest coup de la populace against a government that stole an election. The "revolution" in the former Soviet republic in Central Asia is being compared to the Orange Revolution that changed the politics of Ukraine in December; the people of Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, have adopted yellow and pink as the tones of their movement. The 'Stans aren't Eastern Europe, though, and yellow and pink don't make orange when mixed. Kyrgyzstan faces a slide back into feudalism, and Fascislam is a definite risk.

President Askar Akayev, age 60, is a former communist, having joined the Kyrgyz Communist Party in 1986, when it was part of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. He became president of Kyrgyzstan in 1990, just before independence, and began pushing for privatization and land reform. He was elected president of the newly independent nation in 1991, was re-elected in 1995, and may or may not have been elected in October 2000 -- but he claimed victory anyway. He helped the US during its war against the Taliban in Afghanistan, letting Washington open an airbase in Kyrgyzstan, and he permitted the Russians to put a base in his country a year and a half ago. He has also jailed opponents, e.g., Felix Kulov for "embezzlement," and rigged the parliamentary elections held earlier this month. Having served as president for 15 years, Mr. Akayev is clearly a case of power corrupting. As Cromwell said to the Rump Parliament, "You have sat too long here for any good you have been doing. Depart, I say, and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go!"

It is in the name of God, specifically Allah, that some of the opposition is operating. The Fergana valley is the most densely populated part of Central Asia, as well as the poorest, which Kyrgyzstan shares with Uzbekistan and Tajikistan (one sees from whence the region's nickname "The 'Stans" arose). It is a known hotbed of Fascislam. Indeed, Usama bin Laden's associate Juma Namangani attacked Mr. Akayev's regime before the Taliban were removed. In addition, the Fergana is a major route out of the opium fields of Afghanistan, which Kyrgyzstan doesn't border, but next door Tajikistan does.

Mercifully, Soviet modernization didn't affect the social structure of Kyrgyzstan as radically as it did other occupied places. Feudal ties to clan and nomadic culture persist. This means that there is a strong civil society underlying the political system, and which can provide stability during times of political instability. Some observers note that Islam is not as embedded in Kyrgyzstan as it is in neighboring 'Stans. "The Kyrgyz seem to be closer to the Buddhist Mongols than to Muslim Uzbeks or Tajiks," BBC analyst Leonid Ragozin has noted.

And that would be that, except that Kyrgyzstan and its neighbors are not ethnic monoliths. While ethnic Uzbeks live in Kyrgyzstan and so do Tajiks. Thus far, they have worked together to oust President Akayev, but unity often falters in the face of success -- Churchill managed to work with Stalin while the Nazis were a problem, but once the Austrian paperhanger killed himself, Sir Winston could make his "Iron Curtain" speech. Eyewitnesses say stone-throwing has turned to gun-fire. President Akayev, who is reported to have resigned, has ordered the security forces not to use their weapons, so either the protesters are using lethal force, or some of the police are disobeying orders. Either way, it is not a "Velvet Revolution." Unless a single opposition leader emerges soon, this is a situation that will get worse before it gets better.


© Copyright 2005 by The Kensington Review, J. Myhre, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent.
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