From: Biniam Haile \(SWE\) (eritrea.lave@comhem.se)
Date: Mon Feb 16 2009 - 16:52:59 EST
February 14, 2009, 0:38
US military gets the squeeze in Central Asia
Kyrgyzstan has slapped the US military with a dishonorable discharge
from the Manas Air Base, throwing a monkey wrench into US President
Barack Obama's plans to bolster troop strength in Afghanistan just as
the Taliban is showing a startling resurgence. Now, Washington will be
forced to go shopping for other real estate opportunities across Central
Asia. But the options are limited.
Kyrgyzstan President Kurmanbek Bakiyev made the announcement about the
base closure during a joint press conference with Russian President
Dmitry Medvedev on February 3.
Bakiyev said he was ejecting US forces after repeated requests for
increased rent payment went ignored. Washington pays $65 million
annually for the Manas Air Base, while injecting another $150 million
through economic incentives.
Although Russia denies it exerted any behind-the scenes influence on the
decision, it certainly made the Kyrgyzstan's loss of Washington's rent
money a lot easier to accept: Bakiyev returned home with a massive loan
package worth more than $2 billion, almost the equivalent of the
landlocked nation's total debt.
But for Washington, the question may no longer be a matter of dropping
hard cash; even Uncle Sam's fathomless pockets may not be deep enough to
reverse the public relation damage inflicted by the bumbling Bush
administration.
Following the horrific terrorist attacks of 9/11, which was thought to
have been hatched in the sands of Afghanistan, there was little
resistance to the idea of US military bases being established in Central
Asia. With the full sympathy of the international community behind it,
America suddenly enjoyed carte blanche.
Uzbekistan gave the US military base privileges at Karshi-Khanadad,
known as K2, which offered convenient cross-border access to the Afghan
border. Kyrgyzstan followed suit a short while later with the Manas Air
Base just outside the capital of Bishkek.
But starting with the unexpected and very unpopular U.S. invasion of
Iraq in March 2003, Central Asia, not to mention the regional
powerhouses of Russia and China, began to wonder how long the US
military would keep its XXL boot print in the volatile region. It may be
only coincidence that the Collective Security Treaty Organisation
(CSTO), comprised of Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan
and Uzbekistan, was founded in October 2002, just as war in Iraq was
starting to look inevitable.
The first sign that America was wearing out its welcome in the region
came shortly after Uzbekistan violently suppressed prison riots and
public demonstrations in the province of Andijan in May 2005. Some human
rights groups estimated the number of people killed at 500. The US,
under pressure from human rights groups, asked the government of
President Islam Karimov to permit an international probe into the
crackdown. This move quickly led to the end of K2 basing privileges.
This was also around the time that various color revolutions, believed
in some circles to have been underwritten by the United States
government, were rocking the region.
Now that the US military has also lost the Manas Air Base, what other
options does the Obama administration have for maintaining supplies and
troops in Afghanistan?
The surprise answer is Russia, which is looking to normalize relations
with the US and NATO after the 'three Gs' - Gas, Georgia and George -
helped to raise the specter of a new Cold War in the minds of many
political analysts. The rhetoric has climbed down a notch or two of
late, but the fear and loathing continues to simmer just below the
surface.
"The most important thing is to normalize Russia-NATO relations,"
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters Wednesday, adding
that the alliance must understand Russia's security interests.
Moscow has floated the idea of NATO using Russian transport planes to
airlift military supplies to assist the ongoing operations in
Afghanistan. There is also speculation that Russia could fly supplies
out of Kyrgyzstan, where it has a base in Kant.
Whatever the final result, both sides must appreciate the coincidence of
the timing of a possible agreement. On February 15, Russia remembers the
20th anniversary of its withdrawal from the deserts of Afghanistan.
Robert Bridge, RT
http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/37289