Central Asia: Jan '09

IWPR’s article on the Kyrgyz decision to close the United States military airbase near the capital Bishkek was one of the rare pieces published that looked beyond the immediate headlines, say local experts and journalists.

Nerves were fraying in the journalistic community late on February 3 as everyone awaited the outcome of talks in Moscow between President Kurmanbek Bakiev and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev. The talk was of some kind of announcement on the future of the US base at Manas Airport.

For weeks, local and foreign media had been awash with rumours that the Kyrgyz authorities were going to ask the Americans to leave. So when it came, Bakiev’s statement after his meeting with Medvedev was half-expected, although the finality of it still came as a shock.

Newsrooms sprang into action to put something together for the morning editions. The top newspaper stories of February 4 contained a lot of emotive language topped by sensational headlines, and the consensus view was that it was all over for the American base.

As IWPR gathered material for the article, it became apparent that hard facts were thin on the ground; analysts could only offer speculative opinion at best.

The question we wanted to ask whether, behind all the headlines, it was likely the base was going to close in the near future. The story we wrote, Kyrgyzstan: How Imminent is US Base Closure?, looked at the issue and many of the implications in some detail.

Based on the interviews we gathered, the line we took was that while the Kyrgyz authorities appeared determined to end the American military presence, “there may still be room for negotiation”. In other words, the door might seem to be shut tight, but there is still a small window left open.

The tone and angle of the article have been praised by fellow journalists, academics, human rights activists and a Kyrgyz foreign ministry official.

According to Gulnura Toralieva, a Kyrgyz journalist currently working on a BBC development project in Bishkek, the different line the article took was helpful.

“The article was very timely, since it analysed the situation as well as describing what had happened,” she said. “It sought to show why a delay might happen rather than simply reporting developments concerning the base, as all the other international and local media did.”

She said the possible scenarios suggested in the article were “currently the most realistic”.

Jyldyz Sarybaeva, head of the foreign ministry in charge of liaising with international economic organisations, said the report was useful even for someone like her who was in a position to be well-briefed on the subject.

“Very often, [other] articles introduce confusion instead of clarity, and that can contribute to conflict,” she said. “It can be difficult to sift the truth out of all the speculation, fact and opinion.”

Shairbek Juraevm who heads the International and Comparative Politics programme at the American University of Central Asia said the key issues that should interest the public were the extent to which Russia had played a role in Bakiev’s decision, the question of what is actually in Kyrgyzstan’s own best interests, and the likelihood that the airbase was going to close.

“This article covers all three areas and includes comment from virtually all the sides involved,” he said.

“There’s been so much rumour-mongering about this in recent weeks…. Unlike many other articles, the author not does impose her own opinion, and the reader is able to find out what the arguments are on all sides.”

Juraev was also glad to see the story set in context with a brief description of the American base and its mission.

Kyrgyzstan’s parliament is due to debate a proposal to annul the US-Kyrgyz agreement underpinning the base.

This story, which seemed so cut-and-dried when Bakiev made his announcement, looks set to run and run.

Aida Kasymalieva is IWPR editor for Kyrgyzstan and Kazakstan, based in Bishkek.