Is U.S. military aid to Kyrgyzstan in some way to blame for the terrible violence there? That's what a blogger at the Stimson Center, a Washington think tank, asks.
Refugees flocking into Uzbekistan after fleeing ethnic violence in southern Kyrgyzstan have arrived with a surprising story. The first ethnic Uzbeks to arrive cited marauding bands of ethnic Kyrgyz as their persecutors, but those that followed later recount coming under fire by mutinous soldiers moving in official armored personnel carriers. This comes less than two years since the U.S. Defense Department delivered “5-ton troop/cargo carriers” to Kyrgyzstan under its Section 1206 global train and equip authority.
Were these American APCs? Unlikely. Any pictures I've seen (here, for example) show what appear to be Russian vehicles. Jane's says that Kyrgyzstan has about 550 armored vehicles of various types (excluding tanks) and I can't find any info on how troop/cargo carriers the U.S. donated, but it can't be more than a handful.
Unlike, for example, Israel or Egypt or Colombia, the amount of military aid that Kyrgyzstan gets from the U.S. is negligible from a hardware perspective. But it does send a message. And the post's overall point, made after some budget wonky analysis, is solid: The type of aid that Kyrgyzstan gets is ad hoc (Section 1206 funding) as opposed to the more systematic, long-term Foreign Military Funding that, for example, Pakistan gets. And that communicates very clearly that U.S. interest there is temporary and contingent on Afghanistan.
Section 1206 assistance to Kyrgyzstan facilitates military operations in Afghanistan. Building this relationship largely separate from the State Department’s FMF program, however, communicates that it is one of expediency. That perception is incendiary and can create direct tension between defense and foreign policy priorities. We saw exactly that during the Andijon massacre in Uzbekistan, in which our foreign policy response triggered the military’s expulsion from Karshi-Khanabad. As Kyrgyzstan collapses in on itself, we are again vulnerable to this outcome.
Of course, the author goes on to note that there are significant risks to the long-term support that Pakistan gets, too, so in the military aid game, it's tough to catch a break...
Joshua Kucera, a senior correspondent, is Eurasianet's former Turkey/Caucasus editor and has written for the site since 2007.
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