Russia eyes U.S. air base in Kyrgyz turmoil | Reuters

Now that the Big O has “reset” relations with the Russians via the new START treaty, surely a call to Putin or Medeved will put things right and our ability to fly troops and supplies into Afghanistan won’t be interrupted, right?

 

Russia eyes U.S. air base in Kyrgyz turmoil | Reuters

Guy Faulconbridge and Robin Paxton - Analysis

MOSCOW

Fri Apr 9, 2010 1:29pm EDT

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian-backed coup or not, the uprising in Kyrgyzstan means the United States may have to bargain hard to keep its last military base in Central Asia.

Turmoil in Kyrgyzstan has thrust the fate of the Manas air base -- which is crucial for fighting the Afghan war -- to the forefront of rivalry between the United States and Russia.

Russia has long dreamed of evicting the United States from Central Asia and a Russian official said on Thursday that Moscow would urge the interim Kyrgyz government to shut the U.S. base.

Suspicions of the Kremlin's hand in the unrest were raised when Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin became the first world leader to recognize the authority of the self-proclaimed government, just hours after it took power.

As a reminder, the air base at Manas International Airport plays a major role in our efforts in Afghanistan as detailed in this Business Week article from April 9th:

Last month about 50,000 troops passed through Manas on their way in and out of Afghanistan. It’s the only U.S. base in Central Asia, outside of those in Afghanistan.