Kyrgyzstan and the Anti-Democratizing Power of Twitter and YouTube
Posted by Steve LeVine Much is made of the democratizing impact of Twitter, YouTube and Google. But what’s lost in the talk is that the general populace isn’t their sole consuming audience. They are...
View ArticleOtunbayeva: Genuine Reformer, or Moscow Patsy?
By Sasha Meyer Two experts with deep knowledge of Kyrgyzstan and shared political outlooks elsewhere have expressed diametrically opposite views of Roza Otunbaeva, Kyrgyzstan’s acting leader after last...
View ArticleThe Gospel of Gospels: Kyrgyzstan, Twitter, Russia, and Color Revolution
Posted by Steve LeVine Stratfor has produced a sizzling account of Russia’s role in the ouster of Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev: The intelligence firm’s Lauren Goodrich reports that “select”...
View ArticleKyrgyzstan: Who Got Bakiyev to Run?
Posted by Steve LeVine Kurmanbek Bakiyev, the ousted president of Kyrgyzstan, is on the run. But where? And what role did foreign leaders truly play in his decision to flee in what was depicted as a...
View ArticleKyrgyzstan: An Argument for Doubling U.S. Aid
By Sasha Meyer Kyrgyzstan is said to be strategically important to the U.S. Quite apart from the military base it hosts, it’s also the one place in Central Asia whose government may actually welcome...
View ArticleWatching: New Uprising in Kyrgyzstan
Posted by Steve LeVine Pay attention to Kyrgyzstan. There has been upheaval much of the day, with the opposition overrunning government buildings in Osh, Batken and Jalalabad, after an initial...
View ArticleKyrgyzstan: Southern Airports Seized; Risk of North-South Split
Posted by Steve LeVine Opponents of the provisional government have seized three major airports in southern Kyrgyzstan, putting the country is at risk of being split in two. The provisional government...
View ArticleKyrgyzstan: Pro-Government Pushback; Continued Trouble in Jalalabad
Posted by Steve LeVine The provisional government of Kyrgyzstan showed life today. A show of force from pro-government civilians appears to have turned back most of the opposition uprising in southern...
View ArticleGetting Kyrgyzstan — and Central Asia — Right
Posted by Steve LeVine Only infrequently does the leader of a centrally governed country put his or her money where his mouth is on the public’s right to choose, and actually step down. Oddly...
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