Some Pretty Good, or At Least Not Bad, News out of KG

Voter turnout for the referendum was higher than expected at about 62%, with many of those interviewed for this article seeing a yes vote (which puts in place a new constitution, keeps Otunbaeva as president until the end of 2011 and calls for parliamentary elections in 6 months) as a vote for stability.

I Guess That's One Possibility

The head of the Kyrgyzstan's security services has made a statement that the Bakiev family worked with the Taliban and IMU and recruited militants from Tajikistan and Afghanistan to set in motion the events starting June 10. They apparently paid $30 million for the attacks. The director of the SNB says that he has evidence supporting these claims, but thus far has not provided any documentation.

I mean, I guess it's possible? It seems a bit contrived that the government would be able to blame both the Bakievs (while president, Bakiev certainly did not do much to ingratiate himself to religious extremists) and Islamic fundamentalists, all at the same time. So until there's some credible evidence supporting these assertions, forgive me if I give them about as much weight as the whole "the Western media did it" argument.

Ethnicity in the Conflict; Also Some Useful Background

I have a post coming up on Racialicious, the very awesome blog* that covers the intersection of race and pop culture, most likely tomorrow. It's my take for a non-specialist audience on how problematic the US media discourse surrounding the violence often is, and you should check it out if so inclined. I'll post a link when it goes up.

In the meantime, here's a much fancier and smarter-sounding analysis by Madeleine Reeves, an anthropologist who knows a whole lot about ethnicity in Kyrgyzstan (thanks, E., for the link!). And here's an article that I think does a pretty good job of outlining events leading up to the initial violence on June 10 for those who would like more of an idea of the very complicated factors involved in goings on (Hint: it's not as simple as saying "ethnic hatred" or "class conflict," etc.).

*I've long thought Racialicious an awesome blog, as it covers topics dear to my heart in an interesting way. But I'll admit that I have a new appreciation for it based on how my post came about: I noted that they had brought up the conflict on their site, but linked to the truly awful Slate Explainer article. I left a comment to this effect (never having commented before) and very shortly thereafter heard from the editor asking if I would like to write something for their audience. I was pretty impressed that they both took my feedback seriously AND are willing to present something a little outside of their normal fare (though race/ethnicity in international contexts is an area of interest) to their readers, most of whom are likely not super familiar with Central Asia.

Well, OBVIOUSLY

Oh, that's right, it's all the media's fault. Duh.

And, to be clear, yes, I have been complaining about coverage of KG in the American press. I think, however, that my complaints are not quite the same as those of the provisional government.

More Atrocities

A friend of mine who spent a great deal more time in Central Asia than I and knows a lot more people in the sort of public expat sector (embassy, NGOs, etc., as opposed to academics like me) has been forwarding me reports from people in the region. I haven't mentioned them in previous posts because of privacy issues, which is a reason for the following vagueness, but today he shared a message from an American who has been in a position to hear eye-witness accounts.

And they are horrifying. Which is not unexpected--when you hear about x number of dead and y number of injured, it's pretty easy to assume that some of those people are being tortured and killed in imaginatively awful ways, but press reports are pretty sterile and, I think, help contribute to the distance of the whole situation to most of us here in the US.

While the descriptions of some of mind-blowing cruelty that people are showing one another are sufficiently shocking, almost more so were the reports of Kyrgyz knowing in advance to leave Osh, telling their Uzbek neighbors they were off on holiday, etc. All of this remains rumor at this point, but I really think the worst of these events is still unknown. This message also confirmed reports that aid is not getting through to those who need it--it goes through Bishkek, where instead of making it to Uzbeks in Osh it gets siphoned off in various ways, including being sold on the black market.

For Your Consideration

I've recommended The Registan in posts below, but there are two posts up over there that I highly recommend, though each for different reasons (and the first is more likely to be of interest to anyone reading about it here), both by Sarah Kendzior.*

Crisis in Kyrgyzstan: How You Can Help

This is a collection of places accepting donations that have been verified to one degree or another as reliable places to send donations, so if you can, click on the link and donate to one of the agencies listed there.

The other is a really interesting post looking at why so many were taken by surprise by events of the past week:
Why Didn’t We See It Coming?

I recommend checking out both the post and the comments for an interesting discussion. There are a bunch of other posts up over there with interesting premises and back and forth in the comments (in which I haven't participated).


*Side note: I met Sarah, the author of these posts, at a dissertation development workshop at which I had no business participating, given the eventual focus of my dissertation. Sadly, we did not realize our shared fondness for all things ANTM until after the workshop was passed, leaving us with an unrealized opportunity to work on our signature walks and practice our smizing together.

Support the Kyrgyz-Uzbek Peace Initiative

I know that some of you are looking for ways to help with the ongoing crisis in Kyrgyzstan. Unfortunately, there are already reports of aid shipments going astray and not going to those most in need. In a situation in which already very active criminal organizations are taking full advantage of chaos (which they may have instigated--I think it will be a long time, if ever, before we know who coordinated the original attacks), the government has been unable to adequately address the crisis, and attacks are ongoing, the problem of directing one's humanitarian impulses is a real one. I'm still sticking with the idea of the ICRC as one of the best bets for monetary donations, simply because they are a well-known organization which can be held accountable with a history of work in the region.

I'm posting this to point people's attention to the Kyrgyz-Uzbek Peace Initiative, an group who describe themselves thus:

"We are a group of Kyrgyz and Uzbek professionals living in Washington, DC, whose families and friends are affected by the tragic events in the Southern Kyrgyzstan or who are just simply not indifferent to sufferings of fellow humans.

We realize that unless decisive and fast actions are taken by each of us a humanitarian catastrophe of a huge scale can unfold in Kyrgyzstan and neighboring countries. We appeal for your help!"

The website I linked to above (the group also has a Facebook page) has information on the crisis and a variety of ways to help, including tips on how to write to legislators and officials and information on how to make both monetary and in-kind donations.

I'll be bringing it up when it's a bit closer, but the group has already scheduled a day of mourning for the victims for July 11. I know that it's hard for many of us to donate in any concrete way, but this day of fasting and remembering those whose lives have been affected is one way to focus attention on what is going to be a crisis for a long time to come. Though, let's be honest, if you do have $5 or $10 or $20 or some old clothes to give, that will probably go a bit further in getting a refugee some food and clothing and medical care and a place to live.

I spent a bit of time chatting with my dear and very wise friend E, who has made many an appearance in these pages before (for those of you who know me personally and have been reading this blog for a long time--there have been visitors recently from the places I've been posting about the tragedy--welcome!). E is Kyrgyz and from Osh (though not currently in Kyrgyzstan), and reported from family that no, the violence does not seem to have abated. She also spoke about family members--people whom I don't know well, but who have been truly warm and welcoming and thoroughly gracious to me in the past--and how intolerance is hardening as atrocities continue, order remains elusive, and rumors fly. She made some excellent and troubling points about the future: how do Kyrgyz and Uzbeks move forward after something like this? When killing and raping and burning and looting and all the worst types of behavior you can imagine were started so easily and spread so quickly, how do you go back to what came before? There have been beautiful stories of people helping one another regardless of ethnicity, and perhaps those will come to dominate in the future, but right now they seem to be a sad minority. All of these questions of continued co-existence are heightened by a government that is unstable and ineffective at best, and possibly indirectly contributing to the violence (considering the role or lack thereof of law enforcement, for example).

E also expressed a feeling that the phrase "ethnic violence" is one that allows Americans and other outsiders to distance ourselves from what is going on. It's a phrase we've heard so many times before, one that carries with it whispers of primordial savagery and inscrutable Otherness, that it may make it easier for us to think of events in KG, to the extent we think of them at all, as a far away problem happening to people very different from us who were doomed to something like this because of ancient hatreds. Somewhere, it seems, some ethnic group is always killing some other ethnic group, and there is a sense of unreality to it all. (Full disclosure: this topic came up at my instigation, as I pulled together a brief essay on ethnicity and media coverage of the crisis at the invitation of an editor of another blog, one actually read by lots of people. I'm not sure if or when it will get published and if it does not I'll put it up here anyway, so as not to deny you all my oh-so-brilliant insights).

I guess my point here is: pay attention. Do something, even though there isn't really much meaningful that any of us as Americans in America can do at this point. Do it anyway. Because it matters that people notice, and care, and feel terrible that this is going on, and try to contribute to circumstances that will stop it and then keep it from happening again. And yes, I'm fully aware that I'm so invested in this particular crisis because it's happening in a place I care about, very likely to people I care about, at least in the caring that evolves in any research situation between the researcher and her participants. And you probably don't have the connection I do, so violence in KG doesn't affect you any more than any of the horrible violence going on in innumerable locations worldwide. I'm trying to long-windedly argue that, well, human nature or no, you SHOULD care, just as I should care more about all those places about which I don't care enough about.

I'm tired and I'm babbling. My ultimate point? These posts aren't going to stop, I'm not going to stop bringing it up in conversation, or asking for money or anything else you can give. So really, you should go check out the Kyrgyz-Uzbek Peace Initiative because it will get me off your back and they all have some practical suggestions for things to do, rather than whatever it is I'm doing here.