02/19/09: CNN reports that the Kyrgyzstan parliament has voted to close a base the U.S. military uses as a route for troops and supplies heading into Afghanistan. The Manas air base outside Bishkek is the Americans' only base in Central Asia and is a major resupply hub for the war in Afghanistan. Its closing could deal a significant blow to the U.S. military effort there, especially following President Barack Obama's announcement of additional troops to halt a resurgence of the country's former Taliban rulers.
02/10/09: An International Herald Tribune opinion piece discusses the recent decision by President Kurmanbek Bakiyev of Kyrgyzstan to close the U.S. military base in the small Central Asian country. The article concludes that given the importance of the economic dimension to the Kyrgyz, it is hardly surprising that Bakiyev's cash-strapped government was finally swayed to break its agreement with the United States when the Russian Federation promised even greater benefits.
02/04/09: The New York Times, CNN and Le Monde (French language) report that president of Kyrgyzstan stated that "all due procedures" are being initiated to close the Manas Air Base, which provides the US with a launching point to provide supplies to Aghganistan. General David Petraeus was in Kyrgyzstan last month, partly to lobby the government to let the US keep using the base. The US pays about $63 million a year for use of the base; Russia has reportedly offered a $300 million payment, and a write off of $180 million of Kyrgyzstan's debt.
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