A popular uprising has overthrown a Kyrgyz government for the third time in less than two decades, confirming the country as a political outlier in Central Asia. But this month's events put Kyrgyzstan in real danger of sinking into an abyss of confusion and chaos.
BISHKEK – Much of Kyrgyzstan’s capital has been unnaturally calm for several days now. Municipal workers clean and wash the streets, but there are few passersby. There are also few signs of the recent clashes in which police used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse young protesters. But the covered windows of the city’s shopping centers attest to the simmering tension in this Central Asian country, which now faces its third major political crisis in 15 years.
BISHKEK – Much of Kyrgyzstan’s capital has been unnaturally calm for several days now. Municipal workers clean and wash the streets, but there are few passersby. There are also few signs of the recent clashes in which police used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse young protesters. But the covered windows of the city’s shopping centers attest to the simmering tension in this Central Asian country, which now faces its third major political crisis in 15 years.