Kyrgyzstan violence alarm bell for other Central Asian dictatorships
The revolution in Bishkek last week, which left dozens dead, the President ousted and an uncertain future for Kyrgyzstan, has set off warning bells across Central Asia. The Central Asian "Stans", all of which were formerly part of the Soviet Union, have been run as dictatorships since their independence. Most of the region's people live in poverty, but the elites have been courted by the West for their strategic location close to Afghanistan, and the vast oil and gas reserves in the Caspian Sea. Scoop: Kyrgyzstan: first ICRC relief flight arrives.