Thousands Dead, More Displaced in Kyrgyzstan Violence

An anti-Uzbek pogrom has been going on for a few days now in Kyrgyzstan, one of the central Asian republics still trying to figure out being independent from Moscow. The UN says that as many as 400,000 people have been displaced, and the official death toll of 223 may be raised by a factor of ten in the next few hours. This appears to be related to the overthrow of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev in April, and it is an event from which the nation may never fully recover.

Understanding the divisions between Uzbeks and Kyrgyz is a bit like understanding differences between folks in Yorkshire and and those in Lancashire, or better still between the inhabitants of North and South Dakota. Alexander Cooley, a professor at Columbia University's Harriman Institute, has noted that they speak mutually intelligible versions of Turkic tongues and are predominantly Muslim. However, Kyrgyz are traditional nomads, while Uzbeks are farmers.

The two have clashed before. Back in 1990, there was inter-communal violence based on disputes over farmland. However in those days, the two peoples were part of the Soviet Union, and the Red Army stepped in to shut everyone up. Appeals for Russian troops have yet to be accepted this time around.

Eugene Huskey of Stetson University in Florida, told the CBC, "We don't know for sure who is behind it at this point, but it seems likely that local drug lords and criminal groups joined forces with individuals close to the ousted president, Kurmanbek Bakiyev. Both groups have an interest in destabilizing the situation and not permitting the holding of a planned constitutional referendum on June 27."

Meanwhile, Mr. Bakiyev's son, Maxim Bakiyev, has reportedly been buying weapons in various Arab nations. He has been planning to ask for asylum in Britain, but he was detained by the UK's Border Agency on Sunday. Interpol has issued an arrest warrant for him claiming he has embezzled millions while head of the Kyrgyz Central Agency for Development, Investment and Innovation.

Both the US and Russia have bases in Kyrgyzstan. For the US, this could be a war-zone too far given its position in Iraq-Nam and Afghanistan. Russia needs to get involved like it needs a hole in the head. The fact is that this is going to be a huge humanitarian crisis even if it doesn't turn into an outright civil war. And since thousands of Uzbeks have crossed into Uzbekistan, the world may be lucky if it doesn't turn into a good old fashioned inter-state conflict. One doesn't believe that both groups were better off under Soviet control, but this incident does call into question whether "self-determination" for ethnic groups is good for global tranquility.

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