Kyrgyzstan, beware of US NGOs!

by World League of Citizens and Civil Organizations
 
First appeared in Russian in the Kyrgyz newspaper Vecherniy Bishkek and just now at New Silk Strategies.

There are several US NGOs working in the former Soviet Central Asian countries. These include NED, USAID and the Open Government Partnership (OGP). The latter is generously funded by grants from the Soros Open Society foundations, and although Soros has slyly avoided claiming direct ties to this NGO, it is clear that it is in fact his brain child because 1) its name is easily identified because of the word “open” included therein, and 2) The Open Society Foundations admit that they grant funding to OGP, as reported at the Open Society Foundation web site, which proudly reports that the Open Society Foundations will award it $5 million in the next 3 years if conditions are met.
 
All three of the above-mentioned NGOs were directly involved in the violent and illegal coup d’etat in the Kievan Maidan in 2014, which plunged a peaceful country into a civil war and degraded its economy, making Ukraine the poorest country in Europe according to the IMF. Thus, despite their false claims that they want to bring democracy and clean government to Third World countries, they are simply wolves in sheep’s clothing. Russia became aware of the dangers posed by these NGOs and banned them all several years ago – USAID in 2012, Soros’ Open Society Foundation and NED in 2015. Of course, there are other US NGOs that have clandestinely and indirectly funded security risks such as the candidacy of Alexey Navalny. The protests in Hong Kong are also indirectly funded by US NGOs. Indeed, whenever we learn of large-scale protests anywhere in the world in countries that are not closely aligned with the US (for example, today’s protests in Egypt), it is not unreasonable to suspect the clandestine involvement of US NGOs.
 
Despite the fact that the web sites of all these NGOs claim they are concerned with the well-being of the countries in which they operate, statements made by high-ranking US government officials tell another story and demonstrate that any country in which US NGOs (including certain church groups) operate are exposed to a major security risk. Therefore, US NGOs purporting to “promote democracy or freedom or transparency of government,” or “combat corruption” for example, or in any way try to get involved in the workings of the government, must be urgently banned and removed and their agents must be deported as soon as possible.
 
Let us consider one high ranking official’s statements about US involvement in Central Asian countries formerly controlled by the Soviet Union.
 
General Joseph Votel, the commander of US Central Command of the US armed forces, testified before the US Senate. Eurasianet.org reports on Votel’s testimony:
 
“The Kyrgyz Republic has increasingly aligned its interests with Russia and China,” Votel testified, citing the closure of the US air force base in Manas in 2014 and the subsequent breakdown of US-Kyrgyzstan military ties. Votel laid the blame with Kyrgyzstan's government: “Despite the Kyrgyz armed forces’ desire to improve military-to-military cooperation with CENTCOM, Kyrgyz senior civilian leaders have shown little interest in improving military relations,” he said.
...
“Russia ... maintains significant influence in Central Asia, where the countries of the former-Soviet Union rely on Russia to varying degrees for their economic and security needs,” Votel testified this week. “This is problematic as Russia’s efforts could limit US engagement options and provide Moscow additional levers of influence, particularly as NATO forces deployed in Afghanistan are dependent on Central Asian partners for logistical support. Since 2014, Russia has increased Eurasian integration efforts to reassert Moscow’s dominant influence along the periphery or buffer zone. Likewise, an increasingly assertive China is testing Russia’s dominance in the economic and security arenas of Central Asia but also posing challenges to US influence. China seeks to capitalize on regional concerns over what it perceives as waning US influence and support.”
...
“In contrast to Kyrgyzstan, the US's military ties with Uzbekistan appear to be on the rise. Last year, Votel testified that the US was “cautiously optimistic” about Uzbekistan after the transition following the death of former president Islam Karimov. But he also noted that prospects were limited due to President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's continuation of his predecessor's policy of not allowing foreign military bases or joining alliances.
...
“This year, he suggested that the optimism was warranted. “We are now seeing positive changes within Uzbekistan that are leading to improved military-to-military relations, to include increased military professionalization and training,” he testified. “CENTCOM is also working to improve its military’s logistics and sustainment systems to better support previously transferred U.S. defense equipment. We also continue efforts to bolster Uzbekistan’s special operations forces.”
 
He also noted: “Our bilateral relations [with Uzbekistan] serve to counter Russian and Chinese influence in the region.”
...
“As was the case last year, Kazakhstan represents the US's “most advanced military relationship in Central Asia,” Votel said, despite the fact that “[r]eliance on Russian-produced equipment presents challenges to developing a more robust defense sales relationship.”
 
“In Tajikistan, the US continued its focus on helping the country secure its long border with Afghanistan. ‘While US-Tajik relations are positive, Russia is increasingly impinging on U.S. influence and spreading inaccurate information about Afghanistan and the region,’ Votel said.”
 
Please note that, while Votel warns that Russia (as well as China) is gaining influence in the region, he does not explain why this is not good for the citizens of these countries! He knows that the Western readers are highly prejudiced against Russia (as well as China) and will automatically assume that Russian influence is bad while American influence is good.
 
However, the citizens of Central Asia are aware of the devastation that the US has brought to Vietnam, N. Korea, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Libya and others, and the crippling trade wars unleashed by the US, while Russia, on the other hand, has done much to bring peace and stability to these countries and to sell them arms that are in many ways superior to Western arms, including vital air defences – particularly in view of the recent failure of US defences in Saudi Arabia.
 
Thus, despite US military strength and wealth, there is nothing the US government can do to reverse the trend in Central Asia to reject US influence and rely on their partnership with Russia and China.