Still time to bargain in Bishkek
posted at 11:10 am on March 5, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
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Maybe Kyrgyzstan has seen too many Sham-Wow commercials. According to the BBC, the sale of access to Manas AFB and one of our key military supply routes has not quite closed. Operators in Bishkek are standing by to take Barack Obama’s calls — and get a little respect, too:
Kurmanbek Bakiyev said negotiations with Washington would have to take a different format, and cover new conditions of use.
His latest remarks, the first since announcing the closure last month, have yet to draw an American response.
President Bakiyev said the old agreement on the use of the base was no longer valid but Kyrgyzstan was open to negotiation.
“We are ready for any new proposals from the US government aimed at stabilising the situation in Afghanistan.”
Translation: The checks from Russia still haven’t cleared. Moscow promised over $2 billion in aid and loans in an apparent trade for kicking the US out of its only base in Central Asia. It took weeks to finalize the deal, during which time the new American administration never made any effort to counter the Russian bid.
Bakiyev tried to put a new spin on the sale, claiming that he rejected the American presence because of a “lack of respect” shown towards Kyrgyz input on the war. If so, he picked a weird time to get huffy. Why wait out the entire Bush administration, only to snub its successor, which explicitly promised to treat allies with greater respect and deference on policy decisions?
This is about the money, but now at least we have some entertainment value in the controversy. Bakiyev wants us to treat him with more respect now that he’s sold us out to the Russians, while making clear that his loyalty to Moscow can also be reversed with a bigger cash drop. Only in international diplomacy would this kind of brazen whoring increase respect.
Still, we’d better not miss this opening, especially since Bakiyev is making it this obvious. If Obama calls now, perhaps Bakiyev will throw in a couple of extra Sham-Wows and a Snuggie for Michelle.
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“Now we’re just negotiating the price”
the_nile on March 5, 2009 at 11:15 AM
Sham-WOW, indeed.!
Abby Adams on March 5, 2009 at 11:15 AM
They may even bounce.
Vashta.Nerada on March 5, 2009 at 11:17 AM
Putin’s Russia is in danger of financial collapse (See today’s WSJ piece by Kasparov.)
China is bailing out Russia so far. Imo, China will have a lot to say as to whether “Russia” comes up with the money.
JiangxiDad on March 5, 2009 at 11:19 AM
Tell them they’re next in line, right behind London.
I’ll trade them Vince and Billy Mays.
rbj on March 5, 2009 at 11:20 AM
Maybe the Kyrg are looking at the long-term implications of sleeping with Russia and are a little nervous about waking up with a horse head in their bed.
Then again, like everyone else they probably see a ginormous sucker in Ogabe and are hoping to fleece him. I don’t think Ogabe is going to pay though, not out of fiscal discipline or trying to hardline the Kyrg but because he wants an excuse to leave Afghanistan.
Bishop on March 5, 2009 at 11:21 AM
How does this trump the REAL story of the day?
Alden Pyle on March 5, 2009 at 11:22 AM
Ha ha ha! Would emphasize The Chin. But probably better than the presents the Obamas gave to the Browns.
Tzetzes on March 5, 2009 at 11:27 AM
That’s gonna be one hell of an overdraft fee.
amerpundit on March 5, 2009 at 11:28 AM
How does this trump the REAL story of the day?
Alden Pyle on March 5, 2009 at 11:22 AM
It’s actually a prototype for the housing we will all be enjoying once Ogabe destroys what’s left of the American economy.
A little cardboard and a tarp and you might even survive a Minnesota winter in that place. Might.
Bishop on March 5, 2009 at 11:28 AM
Sorry, all our extra cash is tied up paying for other peoples home improvement projects andn sending money to the palestinians to rebuild terrorist’s houses.
Priorities sir.
loudmouth883 on March 5, 2009 at 11:33 AM
Only if it comes without sleeves. Poor taste but my wife noticed the other day that she never wears sleeves.
txaggie on March 5, 2009 at 11:34 AM
Pay for Play. Should be right up Bambi’s alley.
BrianA on March 5, 2009 at 11:35 AM
You forget who our Secretary of State is……….
……….. and her husband to boot.
Seven Percent Solution on March 5, 2009 at 11:43 AM
We paid President-for-Life Karimov over $500 million to rent K2 for a couple of years, and he still kicked us out. These Central Asian dictatorships are high maintenence.
JamesB on March 5, 2009 at 11:47 AM
So they’re trying to pressure The Obama into a better deal (for them) not understanding that The Obama doesn’t want the base to begin with.
They just handed The Obama the perfect excuse to walk away from Afghanistan, and The Obama says………”ok, bye”.
Skandia Recluse on March 5, 2009 at 11:55 AM
we always knew bambi didn’t have the fortitude to sustain the criticism he would certainly draw if he actually tried to do anything in afghanistan. if he wants to retreat from afghanistan, i just hope he doesn’t let anymore of our soldiers die there.
kelley in virginia on March 5, 2009 at 11:58 AM
its not as if bambi is like Bush. (or cheney)
kelley in virginia on March 5, 2009 at 11:59 AM
So if we pay them, we will be giving them Chinese money.
WashJeff on March 5, 2009 at 12:02 PM
And the trouble with signing a deal with Russia is before you know it they are behind-the-scenes overthrowing your govt. and installing a pro-Russian guy in office.
Putin longs for the days of the USSR…
albill on March 5, 2009 at 12:03 PM
You following this Camera guy?
liquidflorian on March 5, 2009 at 12:03 PM
We better fix this.
CP on March 5, 2009 at 12:10 PM
If it is true that Afghanistan is the forefront of the war with terrorists then paying more for the base is a worthwhile investment. Protection of the United States costs money.
radiofreevillage on March 5, 2009 at 12:12 PM
“This is f**#ing Golden , an air force base is a f*’#ing valuable thing” Overheard somewhere in Kyrgyzstan .
the_nile on March 5, 2009 at 12:18 PM
The Samantha Power battle cry: $1 billion for
GazaHamas, not one Red cent for Manas!!!!!!Mike D. on March 5, 2009 at 12:28 PM
They might have seen our new d**k-move diplomacy coming. There are allies and there are allies, Ed. Anyone think the Kyrgyz had a chance at the cool kids’ table?
DrSteve on March 5, 2009 at 12:38 PM
Maybe Obama should invite him over and give him some DVDs. That ought to be enough to spawn a “special relationship” … depending, of course, on the nature of the DVDs.
crosspatch on March 5, 2009 at 1:12 PM
Hehe. Very well said.
logis on March 5, 2009 at 1:18 PM
Why shouldn’t they get some “Stimulus”? — everybody else is.
cthulhu on March 5, 2009 at 2:28 PM
I’ll bet HillyBilly jumped right on it.
How does a Russian base in Kyrgyzstan help Michelle’s children?
Speakup on March 5, 2009 at 3:52 PM
I’ll chip in a hundred rubles…
profitsbeard on March 5, 2009 at 8:18 PM
How much is that in Quatloo’s?
trigon on March 6, 2009 at 12:39 AM
Couple things to look at: Kyrgyzstan thought it would maybe move up in the CTSO or the SCO in terms of stature if they kissed Russia’s boot. One thing to remember about that $2 billion that Russia offered: part was debt forgiveness, very little was actual, you know, real money, and the bulk was a .75% loan.
I hate Bakiyev with a white hot heat, after he took power and slit Kulov’s throat – very effectively I might add – but he has a point. If we can throw out $900 mil for *Gaza*, which holds extraordinarily little strategic value for us, why should he settle for a measly $65 mil rent payment and $90 mil services contract per year? He knows he holds the aces, and his little loyalty test for his parliament passed without trouble.
Of course, loss of the base would have led to civil war in Kyrgyzstan within two years – the decimation of the middle class would have been tremedous, as an awful lot of businesses have the Air Base as their main client. Bakiyev may be positioning to look like the big guy here, which is pretty bold.. you know, for an asshole.
flashoverride on March 6, 2009 at 3:21 AM
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