About two months ago in Kyrgyzstan, angry protestors filled the streets, clashing with government forces and local police. Bakiyev, the former President of Kyrgyzstan, was deposed and the government was overthrown. http://www.nydailynews.com/ A new, (allegedly Russia -friendly) interim government was quickly set up. Problem solved? Not so much. The Kyrgyz unrest is back, now amongst the people. Kyrgyz against Uzbeks, the second largest ethnic group (link) Uzbek culture. The Uzbeks are a Turkic people group. According to some, an Uzbek uprsing against the Kyrgyz was bound to happen. (link) Uzbeks in Kyrgyzstan. However, the opposite has proven true--many ethnic Kyrgyz have been terrorizing Uzbek populations in Kyrgyzstan (link) Kyrgyz unrest . The U.S. has a military base there, Manas in Bishkek, which supplies troops for the ongoing war in Afghanistan. Bakiyev wanted to close the base a year ago and of course the Russian government (which operates a military base in Kyryzsatn as well) isn't exactly the U.S. military's biggest fan. Some very interesting and tragic political and ethnic dynamics going on in this tiny nation. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8651518.stm They will certainly be in my prayers.
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