CA/FSU news catchup

The emails and links in my inbox have been accumulating over the last week, so time to blog it all down before moving onto a quick news roundup. Therefore:

• For the closet philologists among us, a contributor to the KelKel Yahoo Group list sent round a very clever story in verse ("skazka-byl'" for anyone who's ever had the joy of studying Russian folklore) about a certain Askar Akaevich Akaev and the last 15 years or so of Kyrgyzstan's history. It's long, amusing, mostly accurate and occasionally slanderous (but not the excerpt below...):

Но в начале был бордель-
Вроде шведская модель...
Иль турецкий путь развитья?
Так понять я не сумел.
Вдруг решил Аскар пойти
По японскому пути!
(Там Акаева коллега
Забивал ему мозги).
Президент наш-тот «пострел»,
Шар земной-весь облетел.
Вот к примеру-смотрит карту...
Пальцем ткнул... и полетел.
Не пойму-зачем Аскар
Посещал Мадагаскар?

... So, if anyone would like the full version, drop me an email and I'll send it on.

• A couple of new blogs by K13 Peace Corps volunteers have come to my attention - they'll be heading out to Kyrgyzstan at the end of August/start of September: Xouhoa's blog, Destination Kyrgyzstan! and Trent Milam's Kyrgyzstan?! Where's that? blog.
  

Old(er) news:

• Health news from Kyrgyzstan recently - KyrgyzInfo reported on a shortage of iodised salt in the country, as well as an outbreak of malaria that has resulted in 18 people being hospitalised. Malaria is generally pretty low-risk in the republic, especially in the north, although the number of cases so far this year is already double the total number from last year (21). There's been some discussion on the Thorn Tree about the relative risks and what precautions to take, as well as a separate discussion on medical prophylaxis.
• The OSCE Academy in Bishkek issued number 3 of their weekly digest from the project «Раннее предупреждение для предотвращения насилия» ("Early Warning for the Prevention of Violence"). The digest can be read here (in Russian).
• The furore over Uzbek refugees in the south of Kyrgyzstan has continued. Gazeta.kg ran an article about Kyrgyz HR activists who are working with the refugees and the fact that Uzbekistan has shown more than a little interest in their activities.

(More) current news:

• KGZ - Vechernii Bishkek has been on fine form lately, with a story about rumours of an assassination attempt on Feliks Kulov (it was just a rumour) and an article on how much getting hold of a deputy's mandate costs ($50,000 in case you're thinking about giving it a go).
• UZ - the website of the party Birlik has another Andijan account up from an anonymous refugee.
• KGZ - KyrgyzInfo reports that elections in Universitetskii district will be held on September 18 (so I haven't missed all the elections...). The district was left without a parliamentary deputy after Bermet Akaeva was stripped of her mandate.
• KGZ - It appears Rumsfeld's visit to Bishkek to secure the future of the Ganci Airbase was successful, as numerous sources have reported, including the BBC, Kazinform, RFE/RL and NBC (lovely photo on that last one). Russia's Kommersant saw the deal in more financial terms with its headline "Base Alimony", whilst Eurasianet considered the context of the perceived need to halt the erosion of America's strategic position in the region.
• RUS - Chinaview.com reports on the findings of an opinion poll from VTsIOM that the majority of Russians favour friendship with Kazakhstan and Belarus but are distinctly more wary of Georgia and Ukraine and convinced that the governments of Moldova, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan are hostile towards Russia.
• RUS - Meanwhile another opinion poll by VTsIOM showed that Belarussian President Lukashenko is the best known CIS leader, with 85% of respondents knowing his correct name and position according to RIA Novosti.
• KZ - Kazinform has an interesting piece on state-NGO relations in Kazakhstan that suggests they are growing ever closer, which means we could be seeing more of the wonderful-sounding but oxymoronic GONGO.
• CA - Ahmed Rashid is continuing the Great Game theme in the YaleGlobal with an article entitled "Great Game Reloaded". Snappy, sound-bite-y, realist (plot: US foils dastardly Chinese and Russian attempt to take over Central Asia, democracy wins...) - how much more of this over simplified boy's own reporting are we going to get?!
• UZ - Eurasia Daily Monitor reports that Tashkent is insisting that there is a Kyrgyz link to the Andijan affair (unsurprising seeing as they'd like to get their paws on the refugees...) and has accused 33 Kyrgyz citizens of terrorist activities (ah, the password's been said now so that's alright and let's hand over those 'terrorists'...), many of whom are now in hiding.
• KGZ - Turkish Weekly has a short report that a new party, "Kyrgyzstan", is going to be formed in the eponymous republic on the basis of the opposition's Coordination Committee that was formed earlier this year. One does have to ask at the moment who exactly is the opposition in the country, now that many of them are in power.
• KGZ - Just when it seemed like things were moving on from the presidential elections, which although far from perfect were acknowledged to have been a significant improvement, the NGO Elections and Democracy has issued a report noting irregularities.
• KGZ - The TV and radio production company Ong is crying foul over Keremet's reneging on its contract to show programmes produced by Ong. The Channel Keremet stopped broadcasting Ong's shows on July 7 following government pressure in light of alledged links between Ong's owner and the banned Hibz-ut-Tahrir.
• CA - Newscentralasia has an analytical piece on the effect of the recent London bombings on the region entitled "London Blasts Would be Heard in Central Asia".
• KGZ - US pressure on the Kyrgyz authorities not to hand over any refugees continues, this time in the form of a warning from Condoleeza Rice that she will not attend Kurmanbek Bakiev's inauguration on August 14 if any of the refugees are handed over. Why would they want her there anyway?! Latest news from RIA Novosti is that the 400 refugees will be moved to an as-yet unidentified third country via Bishkek.

Newletters, etc:

• A collaboration between the UNDP and LSE has resulted in the publication of the first Development and Transition Newsletter.
• RFE/RL's Russian Political Weekly (Vol. 5, No. 27) is worth a look this week, with a focus on the possible causes on rising ethnic tensions in Russia - Putin, rather than Soviet nationalities policy is footing the blame.

Registan

• Article on Rumsfeld in Bishkek and the less US-friendly mood in Uzbekistan.
• Ben's highlighted the issue of bride kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan.
• Marianna's Azerbaijan elections blog is running and has been updated.

More anon, no doubt, both here and on Registan.