I was just going through Google news last night and read an article on The Tufts Daily, an editorial piece regarding the Tulip Revolution. A lot of it had to do with post-revolution relations with Russia and how Kyrgyzstan should move away from its influence. Well, besides being physically impossible to move, I dropped a comment on there that I’ll report here for analytical sakes given then I rarely do that.

Kremlin foreign policy post-Orange Revolution has been to work with both governments and opposition parties to ensure steady political and economic relations with Russia despite a change of governance. When it comes to Central Asia, an area not so close to Europe as Ukraine, Russia will continue to have at least a notable economic influence over Kyrgyzstan as a regional power.

That’s not to say Putin will be interfering in elections as much as he did (having been burned so many times already) but certainly, even in a democratic Kyrgyzstan, relations with Russia are important. That’s why he doesn’t have to speak out or take sides.

The opposition leaders do have some problems with them in terms of history (beating down protesters before the collapse of the Soviet Union and such); Bakiyev included. For that, we will just have to continue watching to see what unravels, though it will be pretty hard to get away with much given the whole world watching and finally caring.

No comment on the United Nations. Just kidding! Kyrgyzstan is one of the few countries with both a U.S. and Russian military base. That kind of matter doesn’t need to be complicated any more through a UN peace-keeping force. A better idea would be to train Kyrgyz in democratic thought and peaceful activism a la Gene Sharp. It worked in Ukraine. Not only would this allow them to keep their sovereignty from a foreign occupation group but would help them understand the principles of the government they are trying to adopt.