by Joldosh Osmonov (03/20/2013 issue of the CACI Analyst)

The trial against three Kyrgyz opposition leaders is at its final stage and is the topic of widespread public discussions over the current opposition’s ability to mobilize public support against the country’s leadership. While most experts think the Kyrgyz public is currently in no mood to support protests and rallies, others claim that the opposition’s prospects for attracting support for such actions are underestimated.

by Joldosh Osmonov (03/06/2013 issue of the CACI Analyst)

After the U.S. evacuates the Transit Center at the Manas airport in 2014, Russia intends to replace it with a civic cargo logistics center. However, it is still unknown whether the U.S. airbase will actually be removed and the heated discussions around the issue are at their height.

by Jacob Zenn (03/06/2013 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Kyrgyzstan has made clear that the U.S. must withdraw all of its troops from the Transit Center in Manas when the current lease agreement expires in the summer of 2014. During the ten-plus years of U.S. presence in Afghanistan, the U.S. depended on Central Asian countries, particularly Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, to funnel military supplies through the Northern Distribution Network into Afghanistan. This led to an increase in U.S. military and political influence in Central Asia. However, with the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan opposing continuing the lease, there are doubts whether the U.S. will retain any influence in Central Asia after 2014.

20130220analyst.pdf

by Joldosh Osmanov (02/20/2013 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Kyrgyzstan’s former President Kurmanbek Bakiev and his brother have been found guilty of murdering a former presidential chief of staff and two other people by a Kyrgyz military court. While many local observers are pessimistic about the impact of the court decision on the prospect of Bakiev’s extradition from Belarus, some claim that the ruling still holds political importance.