In The Media
Martha Brill Olcott
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Source: Getty
Testimony
Instability in Kyrgyzstan: The International Response
The international community can help bring much-needed stability to Kyrgyzstan, which has experienced violent ethnic clashes as its leaders lay the groundwork for Central Asia’s first genuine parliamentary democracy.
Published on Jul 27, 2010
Source: U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
U.S. Policy Recommendations:
- Police training: The United States should urge the Kyrgyz government to allow an Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) police training mission to take up positions in the country’s south, where recent ethnic violence took place.
- Donor coordination: One of Kyrgyzstan’s most pressing challenges is promoting economic growth and improving the standard of living. Significant financial assistance from the United States and other donor countries would help ease the country through the difficult transition from authoritarianism to democracy.
- Election monitoring and certification: The OSCE should closely monitor the scheduled parliamentary elections in October. A free and fair election—as certified by the OSCE—would lend important legitimacy to the incoming government.
It is vital that the government and people of Kyrgyzstan set realistic expectations and recognize that difficult days lie ahead. Without critical help from the international community, Olcott warns, “Kyrgyzstan will continue a downward spiral toward state failure, and put its own population and those in neighboring states at severe risk.”
About the Author
Martha Brill Olcott
Former Senior Associate, Russia and Eurasia Program and, Co-director, al-Farabi Carnegie Program on Central Asia
Olcott is professor emerita at Colgate University, having taught political science there from 1974 to 2002. Prior to her work at the endowment, Olcott served as a special consultant to former secretary of state Lawrence Eagleburger.
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Recent Work
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
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