The President of Kyrgyzstan, President Askar Akayev, has just resigned, according to James Joyner. Holy shit.

This democratic-leanings thing: it's like bobbing skirts in the 20s. All the rage. And authoritarian rulers are those ugly girls in the long skirts that no one wants to kiss.

Happy Easter.

Posted by: Attila at 11:57 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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1 I thought when I first saw this that Kyrgyzstan might be the former SSR where capital punishment consists of boiling in oil, but I think that's Uzbekistan. Still, nice to see another tinpot despot being brought down.

Posted by: Simon Dodd at March 25, 2005 05:31 AM (o+ba9)

2 23 skidoo!

Posted by: Daniel at March 25, 2005 06:33 PM (HhZDf)

3 Do you think it's possible to airlift this place some surplus vowels?

Posted by: tdothen at March 25, 2005 07:14 PM (Enafl)

4

Posted by: Attila Girl at March 25, 2005 10:26 PM (R4CXG)

5 Being a "Zell Miller" Democrat, I am pleased that the United States of American overwhelmingly professional military has lit a fire that may never smolder again, but will burn brighter and higher as time moves forward. Personally I was reluctant to get involved, as we have, in Iraq, but was/am supportive of the action once initiated. I wish my parties leaders would simply publicly admit that they were wrong. No matter, at this point, why we did what we did (my belief is that it was faulty intelligence relying on Iraq insiders who were also decieved by Saddam's counciler's who couldn't admit the truth or lose their heads) the incredible impact it has had on the most troubled/troubling region of the world is so positive that they need to back off and support it with all they have. That they have'nt makes me ashamed. The United Sated of America and our military have done an incrdibly good thing here, it is time, it is time now, to acknowlege it and support our troops efforts unequivicably-now-stand up and probe that you deserve to lead the Democratic party.

Posted by: P Mann at March 26, 2005 08:04 PM (f+6vj)

6 sorry, but this is an emotional topic for me and sometimes I forget to spell check.

Posted by: P Mann at March 26, 2005 08:07 PM (f+6vj)

7 No matter; well stated.

Posted by: Attila Girl at March 27, 2005 12:19 AM (R4CXG)

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Jeff at Beautiful Atrocities does a kind of roundup called "Freedom on the March," mostly focused on changes the Middle East, but also discussing events in Western Asia and Africa. Some quibble with the exact examples he chose, but the specifics are less important to me than that sense of expectation in the air—the zeitgeist of self-determination that's spreading, virus-like, in several areas all at once.

And suddenly I'm humming Buffalo Springfield:

There's something happening here

What it is ain't exactly clear

There's a man with a gun over there

Telling me I got to beware

I think it's time we stop, children, what's that sound

Everybody look what's going down

There's battle lines being drawn
Nobody's right if everybody's wrong
Young people speaking their minds
Getting so much resistance from behind
I think it's time we stop, hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down

What a field-day for the heat
A thousand people in the street
Singing songs and carrying signs
Mostly say, hooray for our side
It's time we stop, hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down

For real, this time: the sixties got nothing on us now.

Posted by: Attila at 10:26 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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