Conflict and Context in Kyrgyzstan

On June 10, members of the Kyrgyz majority began attacking the Uzbek minority in the southern city of Osh in Kyrgyzstan, reportedly killing 100 and injuring over 1000.  As this crisis unfolds we have many great resources that you can review to understand the political context leading up to the present.

Kyrgyzstan: Contradictory Changes?
This discussion focuses on the Kyrgyz government's much-hyped decision in 2009 to close the U.S. airbase at Manas and align more closely with Russia.  Kumar Bekbolotov, Ulan Ryskeldiev, and Michael Hall of the Soros foundations look at Kyrgyzstan's social and political landscape, as it was heating up in a series of high-profile developments  in the run-up to the presidential elections.

Kyrgyzstan: Still Waiting?
This is a fascinating article about how economic growth in Kyrgyzstan has not been matched by social or educational improvements.  The article describes in detail the Kyrgyzstani educational system—a system divided by ethnicity: "Training based on ethnicity still prevails in our schools, and it does not promote the integration of our society," says Nigora Akhmedova, an education expert affiliated with the Osh-based Multicultural and Multilingual Education Center.

The Ferghana Valley: The Troubled Heart of Asia
Photographer Jonas Bendiksen captures images of the fertile and populous Ferghana Valley in Central Asia.  The three countries which share it— Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan— have struggled to establish post-Soviet identities.  Bendiksen's images focus on some of the most crucial issues, such as the resurgence and subsequent repression of political and religious Islam.

For ongoing updates on the ethnic conflict in Kyrgyzstan, we recommend visiting EurasiaNet, a website operated by the Open Society Institute that provides information and analysis about developments in Central Asia