U.S. Ousted From Manas Air Base
by QuestionGirl • Wednesday, February 4th, 2009 - 8:08 pmActually, this is probably bad considering what’s going on in Afghanistan/Pakistan.
The Pentagon is in a state of deep denial over the Kyrgyz Parliament’s apparently imminent vote Friday to abrogate the Status of Armed Forces Agreement allowing the U.S. military to use Manas Air Base 17 miles from Bishkek in support of the administration’s global war on terror.
Manas was established in late 2001 as a transit point for NATO supplies to the international coalition in Afghanistan and now houses more than 1,000 military personnel. Two years later the Russians checkmated Washington’s new base by setting up their own military air base at Kant, also near Bishkek.
In the coming days, as denial gives way to sullen acceptance, officials in Washington will complain about crafty nemesis Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and begin assigning blame for “who lost Kyrgyzstan.”
Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev’s decision, however, has been carefully thought out for some time and is the result of years of American obtuseness, arrogance and stinginess.
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