Latest Articles about Kyrgyzstan
A Tale of Two Presidents: Astana Fears the Spread of the “Kyrgyz Virus”
Kazakhstan’s official attitude towards the provisional government in Bishkek is growing more contradictory. President Nursultan Nazarbayev never tires of talking about Kazakhstan’s commitments as the Chairman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to contribute to normalizing the political situation in Kyrgyzstan... MORE
Kyrgyz-Uzbek Tensions in Jalalabad Fueled by Political Competition
May 19 was another day of turmoil in Kyrgyzstan. Roughly 1,500 people marched towards Jalalabad’s private university, demanding the provisional government terminate support for Kadyrzhan Batyrov, an ethnic Uzbek and one of the leading members of the Uzbek diaspora who founded the school. Reportedly, the... MORE
Bishkek’s Dependence on Russia and Kazakhstan Deepens
During the Collective Security Treaty Organization’s (CSTO) informal summit on May 7 in Moscow, member states – Russia, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Belarus, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan – expressed concern over the ongoing instability in Kyrgyzstan. In the joint statement CSTO members agreed that the regime change in... MORE
Astana Takes Credit for Stability in Kyrgyzstan
Astana has promised to open Kazakhstan’s border with Kyrgyzstan almost one month after the violent regime change in Bishkek. Astana remained reluctant to re-open the border despite numerous pleas from the Kyrgyz. The cost of the closed border was high – Kyrgyz businesses claim millions... MORE
Kyrgyz Instability Presents Challenges for Russia, China and the SCO
On April 23, the Security Council secretaries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) met in Tashkent in preparation for the organization’s annual summit also scheduled to be held in the Uzbek capital in June. In the aftermath of the violent protests on April 7 that... MORE
Historical Context for Regional Response to Recent Events in Kyrgyzstan
The international reaction to the events of April 6-7 in Kyrgyzstan follows a pattern that is becoming all too familiar in the region. Over the past 19 years, many of the former Soviet republics have experienced violent and/or unexpected transitions in the form of political... MORE
Political Competition Intensifies in Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan’s provisional government today is torn between its efforts to gain international legitimacy and maintain its domestic popularity. It has convicted former president, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, of mass murder. Lacking formal legitimacy, the provisional government’s decision to convict Bakiyev was largely an act targeted towards its... MORE
Kyrgyzstan’s Provisional Government Needs International Support, Oversight
Kurmanbek Bakiyev was pressured by the OSCE, United States and European Union to leave Kyrgyzstan. On April 15, Kazakhstan dispatched a military aircraft to transfer Bakiyev and his family members to its territory. Several days later, the Kazakh government announced that Bakiyev had left the... MORE
Nazarbayev’s Role in the Kyrgyz Crisis
Kazakhstan, currently chairing the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), by extricating the former Kyrgyz President, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, from internal exile in Jalalabad has highlighted opaque features of the crisis. It also provided an opportunity for the Kazakh president to cast himself in... MORE
Implications of Kyrgyzstan Revolt on China’s Xinjiang Policy
As the political crisis in Kyrgyzstan reaches a turning point, after opposition forces seized the capital Bishkek in a bloody clash and ousted the president and his allies, Chinese leaders from regions across China have reportedly descended upon Xinjiang en masse in a rare spectacle... MORE