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The 'Colorful' Revolution of Kyrgyzstan: Democratic Transition
The ‘Colorful’ Revolution of Kyrgyzstan: Democratic Transition or Global Competition? Yilmaz Bingol* This paper aims to analyze the reasons behind the recent revolution of Kyrgyzstan. I will argue that explaining the revolution through just the rhetoric of “democracy and freedom” needs to be reassessed, as comparing with its geo-cultural environment; Kyrgyzstan had been the most democratic of Central Asian republics. Thus, the paper argues that global competition between US and China-Russia should seriously be taken under consideration as a landmark reason behind the Kyrgyz revolution. The “Rose Revolution” in Georgia and the “Orange Revolution” in Ukraine followed by yet another “colorful” revolution in Kyrgyzstan in the March of 2005. A group of opposition who were dissatisfied with the result of the Parliamentary Election taken place on February 27th and March 13th of 2005 upraised against incumbent regime of Askar Akayev. Accusing the incumbent regime with the felony and asking for more democracy and freedom, the opposition took over Akayev from the power and closed the last stage of the colorful revolution of Kyrgyzstan on March 24-25, 2005. Common characteristics of all these colorful revolutionist were that they all used rhetoric of “democracy and freedom,” and that they were all pro-western especially pro-American. It seems that it has become a tradition in the West to call such revolutions with the colorful names. This tradition may trace back to Samuel Huntington’s famous “third wave democracy” which was started with “Carnation Revolution” of Portugal in 1974. As Western politicians and academicians have often used such “colorful” names for post-communist and post-Soviet cases since then, they must have regarded these revolutions as the extension of what Huntington has called the “third wave”. -
Kyrgyzstan: Recent Developments and U.S. Interests
Kyrgyzstan: Recent Developments and U.S. Interests Jim Nichol Specialist in Russian and Eurasian Affairs August 30, 2013 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov 97-690 CRS Report for Congress Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Kyrgyzstan: Recent Developments and U.S. Interests Summary Kyrgyzstan is a small and poor Central Asian country that gained independence in 1991 with the breakup of the Soviet Union. The United States has been interested in helping Kyrgyzstan to enhance its sovereignty and territorial integrity, bolster economic reform and development, strengthen human rights, prevent weapons proliferation, and more effectively combat transnational terrorism and trafficking in persons and narcotics. Special attention long has been placed on bolstering civil society and democratization in what has appeared to be the most receptive—but still challenging—political and social environment in Central Asia. The significance of Kyrgyzstan to the United States increased after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States. Kyrgyzstan offered to host U.S. forces at an airbase at the Manas international airport outside of the capital, Bishkek, and it opened in December 2001. The U.S. military repaired and later upgraded the air field for aerial refueling, airlift and airdrop, medical evacuation, and support for U.S. and coalition personnel and cargo transiting in and out of Afghanistan. The Kyrgyz government threatened to close down the airbase in early 2009, but renewed the lease on the airbase (renamed the Manas Transit Center) in June 2009 after the United States agreed to higher lease and other payments. President Almazbek Atambayev and the legislature have stated that the basing agreement will not be renewed when it expires in 2014. -
A Hollow Regime Collapses
Policy Briefing Asia Briefing N°102 Bishkek/Brussels, 27 April 2010 Kyrgyzstan: A Hollow Regime Collapses This briefing explains and analyses the events of the past I. OVERVIEW five years, in an effort to provide context and background to the uprising. Bakiyev came to power in the so-called A swift, violent rebellion swept into the Kyrgyz capital Tulip Revolution of March 2005, which ousted President Bishkek in early April 2010, sparked by anger at painful Askar Akayev, whom opposition leaders accused of nepo- utility price increases and the corruption that was the de- tism, corruption and growing authoritarianism. Once in fining characteristic of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev’s office, Bakiyev quickly abandoned most semblances of rule. In less than two days the president had fled. Some democracy, creating a narrow-based political structure 85 people were killed and the centre of the capital was run by his own family and for their profit. A combination looted. The thirteen-member provisional government now of ruthlessness and incompetence led to the regime’s faces a daunting series of challenges. Bakiyev leaves be- downfall. Almost exactly five years after his victory, Baki- hind a bankrupt state hollowed out by corruption and crime. yev was charged with the same abuses as Akayev had been, Economic failure and collapsing infrastructure have gen- by many of the same people with whom he had staged the erated deep public resentment. If the provisional govern- 2005 “revolution”. ment moves fast to assert its power, the risks of major long-term violence are containable: there are no signs of Despite the much-discussed theory that Moscow instigated extensive support for Bakiyev or of a North-South split. -
General Assembly Official Records Fifty-Eighth Session
United Nations A/58/PV.21 General Assembly Official Records Fifty-eighth session 21st plenary meeting Thursday, 2 October 2003, 10 a.m. New York President: The Hon. Julian R. Hunte .................................. (Saint Lucia) The meeting was called to order at 10.05 a.m. As life has demonstrated, the United Nations plays a highly positive role in organizing the common Address by Mr. Askar Akayev, President of the struggle against international terrorism. In this regard, Kyrgyz Republic the idea of giving the United Nations the lead role in guiding the global anti-terrorist coalition deserves The President: The Assembly will now hear an genuine support. One of the primary objectives of my address by the President of the Kyrgyz Republic. statement last year was to appeal to the United Nations Mr. Askar Akayev, President of the Kyrgyz to recognize, as a great event in the history of my Republic, was escorted into the General Assembly country, the two thousand, two hundredth anniversary Hall. of Kyrgyz Statehood, as an event of international status. The President: On behalf of the General Assembly, I have the honour to welcome to the United The resolution of the General Assembly on Nations His Excellency Mr. Askar Akayev, President of Kyrgyz Statehood was a powerful force in raising the the Kyrgyz Republic, and to invite him to address the national spirit of our people. For that, we are sincerely Assembly. grateful to our Organization. Indeed, whenever any problems emerge at a global level, we turn to the President Akayev (spoke in Russian): First of United Nations and unfailingly get support. -
B102 Kyrgyzstan
Policy Briefing Asia Briefing N°102 Bishkek/Brussels, 27 April 2010 Kyrgyzstan: A Hollow Regime Collapses This briefing explains and analyses the events of the past I. OVERVIEW five years, in an effort to provide context and background to the uprising. Bakiyev came to power in the so-called A swift, violent rebellion swept into the Kyrgyz capital Tulip Revolution of March 2005, which ousted President Bishkek in early April 2010, sparked by anger at painful Askar Akayev, whom opposition leaders accused of nepo- utility price increases and the corruption that was the de- tism, corruption and growing authoritarianism. Once in fining characteristic of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev’s office, Bakiyev quickly abandoned most semblances of rule. In less than two days the president had fled. Some democracy, creating a narrow-based political structure 85 people were killed and the centre of the capital was run by his own family and for their profit. A combination looted. The thirteen-member provisional government now of ruthlessness and incompetence led to the regime’s faces a daunting series of challenges. Bakiyev leaves be- downfall. Almost exactly five years after his victory, Baki- hind a bankrupt state hollowed out by corruption and crime. yev was charged with the same abuses as Akayev had been, Economic failure and collapsing infrastructure have gen- by many of the same people with whom he had staged the erated deep public resentment. If the provisional govern- 2005 “revolution”. ment moves fast to assert its power, the risks of major long-term violence are containable: there are no signs of Despite the much-discussed theory that Moscow instigated extensive support for Bakiyev or of a North-South split. -
BA Country Report of Kyrgyzstan Part 1 Macro Level
Informal Governance and Corruption – Transcending the Principal Agent and Collective Action Paradigms Kyrgyzstan Country Report Part 1 Macro Level Aksana Ismailbekova | July 2018 Basel Institute on Governance Steinenring 60 | 4051 Basel, Switzerland | +41 61 205 55 11 [email protected] | www.baselgovernance.org BASEL INSTITUTE ON GOVERNANCE This research has been funded by the UK government's Department for International Development (DFID) and the British Academy through the British Academy/DFID Anti-Corruption Evidence Programme. However, the views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the British Academy or DFID. Dr Aksana Ismailbekova, Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, Advokatenweg 36 06114 Halle (Saale), Germany, [email protected] 1 BASEL INSTITUTE ON GOVERNANCE Table of contents Abstract 3 1 Introduction 4 1.1 Informal Governance and Corruption: Rationale and project background 4 1.2 Informal governance in Kyrgyzstan 4 1.3 Conceptual approach 6 1.4 Research design and methods 6 2 Informal governance and the lineage associations: 1991–2005 7 2.1 Askar Akaev and the transition to Post-Soviet governance regime 7 2.2 Co-optation: Political family networks 8 2.3 Control: social sanctions, demonstrative punishment and selective law enforcement 11 2.4 Camouflage: the illusion of inclusive democracy and charitable contributions 13 2.5 The Tulip Revolution and the collapse of the Akaev networks 13 3 Epoch of Bakiev from 2005–2010 14 3.1 Network re-accommodation in the aftermath of the Tulip Revolution -
"The Transformation of Askar Akaev, President of Kyrgyzstan" by R
University of California, Berkeley The Transformation of Askar Akaev, President of Kyrgyzstan Regine A. Spector Berkeley Program in Soviet and Post-Soviet Studies Working Paper Series This PDF document preserves the page numbering of the printed version for accuracy of citation. When viewed with Acrobat Reader, the printed page numbers will not correspond with the electronic numbering. The Berkeley Program in Soviet and Post-Soviet Studies (BPS) is a leading center for graduate training on the Soviet Union and its successor states in the United States. Founded in 1983 as part of a nationwide effort to reinvigorate the field, BPS’s mission has been to train a new cohort of scholars and professionals in both cross-disciplinary social science methodology and theory as well as the history, languages, and cultures of the former Soviet Union; to carry out an innovative program of scholarly research and publication on the Soviet Union and its successor states; and to undertake an active public outreach program for the local community, other national and international academic centers, and the U.S. and other governments. Berkeley Program in Soviet and Post-Soviet Studies University of California, Berkeley Institute of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies 260 Stephens Hall #2304 Berkeley, California 94720-2304 Tel: (510) 643-6737 [email protected] http://socrates.berkeley.edu/~bsp/ The Transformation of Askar Akaev, President of Kyrgyzstan Regine A. Spector Spring 2004 Regine A. Spector is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. She would like to thank the following people for their comments and suggestions on previous drafts: George W. -
Iii. Eu-Kyrgyzstan Relations
Directorate-General External Policies Policy Department Note on The Political and Economic Situation in Kyrgyzstan and EU - Kyrgyzstan Relations Abstract: This note has been prepared for Members of the European Parliament and in particular for the Delegation to the EU-Kazakhstan, EU-Kyrgyzstan and EU-Uzbekistan Parliamentary Cooperation Committees and the Delegation for relations with Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Mongolia. It is also intended for the use of any MEPs who may be involved in election observation. ExPo/B/PolDep/Note/2005_075rev 12 April 2005 [PE N°] EN This note was requested by: the European Parliament's Delegation to the EU-Kazakhstan, EU- Kyrgyzstan and EU-Uzbekistan Parliamentary Cooperation Committees and Delegation for relations with Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Mongolia. It is published in the following languages: English. Author: Anthony Comfort and Sarah Khor (stagiaire) Policy Department DG External Policies SCH 06B014 European Parliament L-2929 Luxembourg Manuscript completed in April 2005. Copies can be obtained through: E-mail: [email protected] Brussels, European Parliament, 2005. The opinions expressed in this document are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position of the European Parliament. 1 CONTENTS Page EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .........................................................................................................3 BASIC INFORMATION ............................................................................................................4 -
Religion and the Secular State in Kyrgyzstan
Religion and the Secular State in Kyrgyzstan Johan Engvall SILK ROAD PAPER June 2020 Religion and the Secular State in Kyrgyzstan Johan Engvall © Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program – A Joint Transatlantic Research and Policy Center American Foreign Policy Council, 509 C St NE, Washington D.C. Institute for Security and Development Policy, V. Finnbodavägen 2, Stockholm-Nacka, Sweden www.silkroadstudies.org “Religion and the Secular State in Kyrgyzstan” is a Silk Road Paper published by the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute and Silk Road Studies Program, Joint Center. The Silk Road Papers Series is the Occasional Paper series of the Joint Center, which addresses topical and timely subjects. The Joint Center is a transatlantic independent and non-profit research and policy center. It has offices in Washington and Stockholm and is affiliated with the American Foreign Policy Council and the Institute for Security and Development Policy. It is the first institution of its kind in Europe and North America, and is firmly established as a leading research and policy center, serving a large and diverse community of analysts, scholars, policy-watchers, business leaders, and journalists. The Joint Center is at the forefront of research on issues of conflict, security, and development in the region. Through its applied research, publications, research cooperation, public lectures, and seminars, it functions as a focal point for academic, policy, and public discussion regarding the region. © Central Asia-Caucasus Institute and -
Political Turbulence in Kyrgyzstan and Russian Foreign Policy
NO X NO 10 14 Nov 2011 Published by The Swedish Institute of International Affairs www.ui.se Political Turbulence in Kyrgyzstan and Russian Foreign Policy Evgeny Troitskiy Visiting Researcher, Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI) Associate Professor, Tomsk State University [email protected] Russia and Political Turbulence in Kyrgyzstan In April 2010, five years after the ouster of Kyrgyzstan’s first president Askar Akayev, the country saw another unconstitutional change of power. The violent overthrow of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev was followed by a rise in ethnic and social tensions. In June, Kyrgyzstan was shattered by wide-scale pogroms in Osh and Jalal-Abad, the first outbreak of violence of such magnitude and ferocity since 1990. The country underwent a hasty transition to a parliamentary republic and, as the presidential election set for October 30, 2011 approaches, faces another decisive point in its post-independence history. The political turbulence in Kyrgyzstan has become a challenge for Russia, the country seeing itself and generally seen by others as Central Asia’s security guarantor and the most influential external actor in the region. It is on Moscow’s response to this challenge that this brief focuses. Bakiyev’s Ouster In July 2009, Kurmanbek Bakiyev was triumphantly reelected for a second presidential term, gaining 76% of votes with a turnout of 79%. The president’s reelection was followed by a rampant campaign to concentrate political power and the country’s most valuable economic assets in the hands of Bakiyev’s extended family and close associates. These steps were taken in an increasingly unfavorable internal context, at a time of exacerbating economic hardship and shrinking remittances from labour migrants. -
The Colour Revolutions in the Post-Soviet Space: Illusion and Reality of the Post-Soviet Civil Disobedience
Krzysztof Kozłowski Warsaw School of Economics The Colour Revolutions in the Post-Soviet Space: Illusion and Reality of the Post-Soviet Civil Disobedience Abstract The political events that took place at the end of 2003 in Georgia, in 2004 in Ukraine and in 2005 in Kyrgyzstan are popularly called the Rose, Orange and Tulip Revolution or collectively: the Colour Revolutions in the post-Soviet space. At first glance the term “revolution” may seem appropriate. The Colour Revolutions have resulted in the regime change in all the three states. However, from a decade-long perspective one may notice that the revolutionary changes in the political systems of Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan did not actually take place. The post-revolutionary reality: the Russian-Georgian war and criminal charges against the revolutionary Georgian President Micheil Saakashvili, the infamous ending to the political career of the revolutionary leader Victor Yushchenko just four year after the Orange Revolution and the spectacular collapse of the Victor Yanukovych regime, which led to a hybrid warfare with Russia, or Kyrgyzstan’s permanent political instability following the revolutionary events of 2005 require yet another insight into what has happened in Tbilisi, Kiev, and Bishkek. Without an in-depth analysis of the events, it is impossible to understand the fundamental social and political dynamics of the ongoing and future changes in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus or Central Asia. The re-evaluation of the Colour Revolutions is not only of historical importance, though. It is also a universal lesson concerning the most important challenge that all the democratic social movements active in the authoritarian or post-authoritarian states have to face: how to manage large-scale civil disobedience protests of a disappointed society while the ruling governments do not follow democratic rules and the international community does not fully comprehend the significance of the ongoing changes. -
Report on the Parliamentary Elections in Kyrgyzstan FebruaryMarch 2000
106th CONGRESS Printed for the use of the 2nd Session Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe REPORT ON THE PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN KYRGYZSTAN FEBRUARYMARCH 2000 A Report Prepared by the Staff of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe WASHINGTON:2000 Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe 234 Ford House Office Building Washington, DC 20515-6460 (202) 225-1901 [email protected] http://www.house.gov/csce/ LEGISLATIVE BRANCH COMMISSIONERS HOUSE SENATE CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey, Chairman BEN NIGHTHORSE CAMPBELL, Colorado, Co-Chairman FRANK R. WOLF, Virginia KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON, Texas MATT SALMON, Arizona SPENCER ABRAHAM, Michigan JAMES C. GREENWOOD, Pennsylvania SAM BROWNBACK, Kansas JOSEPH R. PITTS, Pennsylvania TIM HUTCHINSON, Arkansas STENY H. HOYER, Maryland FRANK R. LAUTENBERG, New Jersey BENJAMIN L. CARDIN, Maryland BOB GRAHAM, Florida LOUISE MCINTOSH SLAUGHTER, New York RUSSELL D. FEINGOLD, Wisconsin MICHAEL P. FORBES, New York CHRISTOPHER J. DODD, Connecticut EXECUTIVE BRANCH COMMISSIONERS HAROLD HONGJU KOH, Department of State EDWARD L. WARNER III, Department of Defense PATRICK A. MULLOY, Department of Commerce COMMISSION STAFF DOROTHY DOUGLAS TAFT, Chief of Staff RONALD J. MCNAMARA, Deputy Chief of Staff BEN ANDERSON, Communications Director ELIZABETH CAMPBELL, Office Administrator OREST DEYCHAKIWSKY, Staff Advisor JOHN F. FINERTY, Staff Advisor CHADWICK R. GORE, Staff Advisor ROBERT HAND, Staff Advisor JANICE HELWIG, Staff Advisor MARLENE KAUFMANN, Counsel KAREN S. LORD, Counsel for Freedom of Religion MICHELE MADASZ, Staff Assistant/System Administrator MICHAEL OCHS, Staff Advisor ERIKA B. SCHLAGER, Counsel for International Law MAUREEN WALSH, General Counsel ii ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION (OSCE) The Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki process, traces its origin to the signing of the Helsinki Final Act in Finland on August 1, 1975, by the leaders of 33 European countries, the United States and Canada.