Kyrgyzstan: US Agents At Work

A little background on today's "revolution" in Kyrgyzstan from a recent article at Asia Times Online:

According to Kyrgyz authorities, several media-savvy activists manning the barricades in Kiev's 'Orange' revolution were dispatched by late January to Bishkek to plan and execute a similar feat; lavish American funding was made available for them. Over 54,000 foreigners entered the country in the past few months, which, according to the Kyrgyz authorities, was far in excess of average figures.

Certainly, for weeks altogether in the run-up to the Kyrgyz elections of February 27 (and the second round of voting on March 13), Kyrgyzstan was subjected to an unprecedented propaganda barrage aimed at discrediting and undercutting President Askar Akayev. Unusual to the norms of diplomatic behavior, the American ambassador in Bishkek publicly chastised the Kyrgyz government.

This was surprising. Akayev was by no means a "Soviet-style dictator". In fact, he is a "post-Soviet" elected leader. In US perceptions, he used to be a role model of enlightened democratic leadership - almost like Eduard Shevardnadze ("Shevvy") was at one time.

The supposedly spontaneous people's revolution - like that in Ukraine - should be seen in terms of the old Cold War rivalry between Washington and Moscow.