The transformation to democracy does not mean that a country must face the threat of terrorism, Stephen M. Young, U.S. Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan argued Thursday in his lecture “Kyrgyzstan and the Struggle for Democracy in Central Asia.” Young, a Wesleyan alum from the class of ’73, is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service and was confirmed by the Senate in 2003 to serve as ambassador to Kyrgyz Republic.
“When the events of last March unfolded, my friends and family members were finally able to pronounce Kyrgyzstan,” Young said. “The focus shifted there, and they were making history. Kyrgyzstan marks the first successful transfer of power to a democracy in Central Asia.”
According to Young, most of the business community in Kyrgyzstan, and parts of the U.S. government, were reluctant about its shift to democracy after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1990. The government in power was friendly to U.S. policy, and they were apprehensive that the change in the government would create instability.
But their fears were mitigated when the presidential election in 1990 was peaceful. The democratic incumbent, Askar Akayev, became president.
“The United States realized that an unsteady government created unsteady counterterrorism policies, and that security and democracy did not have to be two separate things,” Young said.
But since Akayev’s election as president in 1990, he remained president, as a result of corruption, until the protests of 2004.
According to Young, issues are now being addressed in Kyrgyzstan with real political pressure, which is essential to security.
Since 9/11, Young asserted that the U.S. has given Kyrgyzstan approximately $800 million in aid. Young noted that this money proved the existence of a positive relationship with the U.S.
“As time went on [President] Akayev was supposed to step down. But he fell under the influence of his family and corrupt friends,” Young said. “And [Akayey] told me that he had to stay in power for the good of the country. He said that no one else could do it.”
Even though Kyrgyzstan has had elections since then, the president and his administration have remained the same since 1990. Young indicated that there was little willingness within government officials to turn over their power.
“Akayev stayed too long, he became out of touch with the people,” Young said. “He had raised [the people’s] expectations. They wanted more than Soviet style elections.”
According to Young, he told Akayev in March [2005] that if he relinquished power, he could become famous as the first democratic leader. But Akayev remained adamant that he stay in office.
“Then in March 24, 2005, following badly flawed elections and huge resources being spent, Akayev had a clash with police,” Young said.
Days later, Akayev turned up in Russia complaining about the way he had been treated. He did not express any concern about Kyrgyzstan or his people, Young said. The forced departure of Akayev has been called the Tulip Revolution.
While in office, Akayev established free press, which the U.S. supported.
Following Akayev’s ousting, however, he accused Young and the U.S. of inciting and even paying people to revolt. This was completely unfounded, according to Young.
“The long and short of this is that the United States is on the right side of this thing. I think that Kyrgyzstan has turned an important page in history. And there is definitely an opportunity for them to make good on it,” Young said.
Prior to the lecture, Young spoke off the cuff to Professor Crenshaw’s Counterterrorism government class. While he discussed the same issues during the lecture, he appeared more relaxed and even made light of Asia’s political scene.
“What’s the most democratic country in the world?” Young joked with the class. “North Korea- one hundred percent of the people vote and they all vote for Kim Jong-Il. Democracy is not always connected to good government.”
While at Wesleyan, Young majored in history and graduated with high honors. He continued his education at the University of Chicago where he received his M.A. and Ph.D. He entered the service immediately following the completion of his formal education. And for the last 25 years Young has served in posts throughout Asia, including Beijing, Moscow, and Taipei.
Students found his talk interesting but commented that he did not provide new insight into U.S. policies.
“I couldn’t tell his perspective on the issues,” said Sacha Freudenberg ’05. “He seemed like he was straight out of central casting—his mannerisms, his language, and even his views.”
“[Young] was reserved in his talk,
said Aimee Rose ’05. ”It was what you would expect of state policy. But politically he’s in the right place. Kyrgystan is not a very contested area.“
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