bishkek revisited

I was in Bishkek for the past few days for work. After a few months away, I looked at the city with new eyes. It looked much nicer than the dirty city I spent the summer in thanks to a fresh coat of snow. It was also good to see some great friends and visit some old hangouts.

Elections took place on Sunday in Kyrgyzstan. The OSCE seemed to be all over the place watching out for any type of funny business. The elections for parliament were being watched carefully for an indication of what may follow in the presidential election that is just eight months away. Kyrgyzstan is seen as Central Asia's best hope for democracy to take root. The West has poured a lot of money into the country trying to prop it up and create stability. The United States pays a healthy sum of money to use the Bishkek airport as an airbase to support operations in the region. The country, nonetheless, has remained poor. People are unemployed and don't see the situation improving. Over the past year, pick-pocketing has given way to beatings. Most of the expats I know in Bishkek (both male and female) have been attacked at one time or another. People are watching President Akayev to see if he will relinquish control and to see if Ukraine's orange revolution will spill over into Kyrgyzstan.


Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan at night on Feb. 24, 2005