Kyrgyzstan: A Victory for Moscow in the Uprising

As protests continue in Kyrgyzstan, wider geopolitical implications have begun to emerge. Russia's offer of assistance appears to have been warmly received, while the United States and China, both rivals to Moscow for influence in Central Asia, struggle to craft a diplomatic response to events. Though there is no concrete evidence of a Russian hand in the removal of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev's government, it marks another step in the rollback of Western influence in the former Soviet sphere.