An Interview with Akayev

Askar Akayev is the former president of Kyrgyzstan... as in the one who was deposed in the 2005 Tulip Revolution. He gave an interview with Russia Today (below) which is... well, more interesting than I'd expected it to be. I found a lot of it hypocritical, as he takes Bakiev to task for the same sort of things that he had done when he was president. He also places a LOT of blame for the discontent on the US. Not so sure how I feel about that. Thoughts?? (And something I learned from this interview: Akayev is a PHYSICIST. After the hell my physics class has been putting me through since last August, I am impressed. Who knew?)

Contrasts: 2005/2010 and North/South

Here's a really good article comparing and contrasting Kyrgyzstan's 2005 Tulip Revolution with the current revolution, from Transitions Online.

Meanwhile...

Bakiev has fled from Bishkek (which, for those of you who don't know, is located in the north of Kyrgyzstan) to the south of Kyrgyzstan. He has announced this in several interviews with foreign news organizations, although whether he is in Osh, Jalalabad or one of the smaller villages in that part of the country is uncertain.

There is a divide between the north and south of Kyrgyzstan. The borders of the "stans" were drawn up by the Soviet Union in ways beneficial to the Kremlin and not so much to the residents of that part of the world. Much of southern Kyrgyzstan probably should've become part of Uzbekistan, back in the day. There's a much larger Uzbek population in that part of the country than in the north.

Cultural differences between north and south go back in time a long way, being derived in part from landscape differences. Those residing in mountainous northern Kyrgyzstan tended to be nomadic, shepherding their livestock from valley to high mountain pastures as the seasons changed. Southern Kyrgyzstan is located along the Ferghana Valley - and area which lends itself well to a more sedentary, farming lifestyle. (You can see the differences in lanscape in the pictures I took in 2008 during my trip from Bishkek to Osh.)

Lastly, Southern Kyrgyzstan tends to be more more religious and more conservative than their northern half... and it is this part of the country that Bakiev is from. (He was born in a village near Jalalabad. There are tons of rumors that Bakiev has gone south to rally supporters in order to take back power. How I hope these rumors are false.

Articles:

Kyrgyzstan leader demands president go into exile as civil war threat rises

Kyrgyzstan ousted president Bakiyev fears for life

I hope this is change for the better :-)

Newly appointed Kyrgyz President, Roza Otubayeva

(Made by me, using the Obamicon.me website)

News out of Bishkek; Bakiev speaks to AlJazeera

One more link (for now)

Click on this link and watch the video. It features the VEFA Center, which was a huge, upscale shopping center less than a block from where I lived and worked when I was in Kyrgyzstan. I'm still trying to get info on The London School.

Updates: Russia, US, Bakiev, Otumbayeva

Russia has recognized Otumbayeva as the new President of Kyrgyzstan, although the US is still dithering. As far as I can tell the US government (as well as much of the US news media) are more concerned with how this will affect their ability to fight the war in Afghanistan, what with the Manas base just outside of Bishkek is such an important transit base for the US war effort. Meanwhile, Bakiev seems to have fled to the southern city of Osh. There's a big north-south divide in Kyrgyzstan, and it appears that Bakiev is playing on this to gain support and perhaps ignite civil war. He announced in an interview with Ekho Moscovy, a Russian radio station, that he has no intention of giving up the Presidency. Below are several more informative articles.

Self-proclaimed Kyrgyz leader thanks Russia, seeks aid

Kyrgyz Leader Refuses to Quit after Uprising

Kyrgyz president says he won't resign

Meet Kyrgyzstan's New Leader

Ousted Kyrgyzstan Leader Refuses to Admit Defeat

US expresses concern as opposition group in Kyrgyzstan seizes power

Can US supply Afghanistan war without Kyrgyzstan's Manas airfield?

Chaos and uncertainty reign in Bishkek

Bishkek before the blood

Bishkek wasn’t always bloody. I’ve been glued to the internet for the past couple of days, doing my best to follow what’s going on over there. I have spent so much time in Bishkek, and have literally walked all over the city. I know downtown Bishkek so well that it’s like an old friend… and watching video clips of the violence in the city center is like watching an old friend get punched in the face. Or shot. It’s horrible, and yet I can’t look away.

I went home last night, dug out my external hard drive, and began looking through the pictures of my time in Bishkek. I needed to see the place *without* the blood. If you’ve watched any of the videos or looked at any of the photos I’ve linked to in the previous posts, you’ve no doubt seen the same few buildings in the background over and over. Here they are in better times.

I just uploaded a whole bunch of my old Bishkek photos to flickr (for some reason, when I was in Kyrgyzstan I never uploaded a Bishkek set, just sets of my travels outside of Bishkek), so please CLICK HERE to check them out. It’s what the city *should* look like.

My father called me last night to ask if I’d heard about what was happening in Kyrgyzstan, saying essentially: I bet you’re glad you’re not there now! To which my response was: No way! I’d go back in a heartbeat. Even right now, I wish I were there.

More updates from Kyrgyzstan

Rioting has devolved into looting. Why, why, why must looting and destruction accompany protest and revolution? I understand the need for protest, the need to oust Bakiev. I do not at all comprehend the looting and destruction that has accompanied it... but it seems that this always happens (not just in Kyrgyzstan, but all over the world, when such situations arise). What is particularly distressing, is that I have seen so many pictures of businesses where the owners have posted signs reading, "We are with the People!" - and yet these businesses have been looted and destroyed nonetheless.

The opposition has claimed control of the government, if not of the looters, under the leadership of Roza Otunbayeva. I'm still trying to figure out what's up with Bakiev, as far as his location and what his intentions are.

Here's what my friends in Kyrgyzstan have to say:

This is from a friend who works for a US NGO in Bishkek:

Hello All, Thanks for your emails. Just wanted to let you know that I'm doing fine. They moved us to a "safe house" which meant we missed most of the action. Things are changing quickly. It seems like either we'll be evacuated to Kazakhstan or we'll go back to work :)

Yesterday there was a lot of shooting right outside our office since we're down the street from a National Guard building. Today, the city seems strangely normal. The streets are busy with cars and lots of people are walking around. People are also already cleaning up after the looting that happened during last night.

I'll try to send more updates when I get a chance.

This is from a former student of mine who lives in Bishkek:

Thanks for the message. Everything's ok. Me and my family sitting at home watching news. Goddam stupid politics are using the village youth. Bishkek is being looted like last time.

This is from another former student. She is studying in a high school in the US, but her family is in Naryn, Kyrgyzstan (where there has been unrest, but as far as I can tell, nothing like in Bishkek and Talas):

Hi Jane! Yes, I talked with my family and friends and they are all safe and everything is Ok; thank you :D

And this is from a Korean family (yes, I said Korean; not a typo) I am friends with, also living in Bishkek:

Thank you for your concern! We're staying at home and not going anywhere right now..
Hope everything ends soon. well, the change to the gov-t has already been made...

I'm still trying to get some info on The London School, where I lived and worked when I was in Kyrgyzstan. The VEFA Center, located less than a block from TLS has been looted, so I am a little worried.

My friend and former student Elena (who has been blogging like mad about this from her current home in Tennessee) has collected a large amount of photos of Bishkek in its current state from her contacts, and she has posted them on flickr. I highly recommend checking them out.

Not much has changed news-wise since last night, but this is a good article, with numerous photos and videos: Opposition says it's in control of Kyrgyzstan after riots.

Revolution Over? Bakiev flees, a female president appointed...

This is Roza Otunbayeva, former Foreign Minister of Kyrgyzstan and (according to announcements from the opposition), the new President of Kyrgyzstan.
Read about her on wikipedia.

More K-stan revolution on YouTube :-(