With Kyrgyzstan's political situation still in flux, one of the lions of Kyrgyz politics in the post-Soviet era, Felix Kulov, is reemerging from the shadows. In an exclusive interview with EurasiaNet.org, Kulov counseled pragmatism as the provisional government wrestles with the present and starts pondering how to account for the past.
There will be no changes to security arrangements that Kyrgyzstan has with both the United States and Russia until a duly elected government has a chance to review them, a top official in the Central Asian nation tells EurasiaNet.org.
Following a prolonged silence amid the collapse of Kurmanbek Bakiyev's administration in Bishkek, US officials are now playing diplomatic catch-up in Kyrgyzstan.
Three days after the collapse of Kurmanbek Bakiyev's administration, Kyrgyzstan's new leadership is treading delicately as it strives to coax the nominal president into resigning. Provisional government representatives in southern Kyrgyzstan say they don't know Bakiyev's exact whereabouts, and add that some of his most zealous supporters have access to arms.
The upheaval that brought down Kurmanbek Bayiev's administration in Kyrgyzstan occurred at a very inopportune time for the United States. Bakiyev's son, Maxim, who is now wanted in Kyrgyzstan on criminal charges, happened to be in the United States when upheaval erupted in Bishkek.
It's not often that do-overs occur in history. But Kyrgyzstan appears to the beneficiary of just such an opportunity, giving the country another shot at breaking free of authoritarianism's strong gravitational pull in Central Asia. Though lucky, the country still faces immense challenges as the provisional government tries to avoid the pitfalls that derailed the Tulip Revolution of 2005.
With marauding bands continuing to rule the night in Bishkek, and Kurmanbek Bakiyev making mischief in his southern stronghold, Kyrgyzstan's new leaders are facing the prospect of a prolonged period of strife in the Central Asian state. Some experts say they are worried that continuing disorder in the country could exacerbate long-simmering regional tension.
Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev has declared a state of emergency in Kyrgyzstan following an April 7 clash between police and protesters outside the government headquarters in Bishkek that left four dead. Mobs are roaming the city, with no clear leader representing the demonstrators since the earlier arrest of key opposition leaders.
