Kyrgyzstan: Larger Issues Behind the Kumtor Protests

Recent protests in Kyrgyzstan are symptomatic of broader economic and security issues that will continue to plague the strategically located country. Kyrgyzstan will soon dispatch militia units to the Jeti-Oguz district of Issyk-Kul province, according to a statement issued by a regional government official Oct. 11. Several protests, in part related to the ownership structure of the Kumtor gold mine, have erupted in Issyk-Kul over the past week. 

The protests reflect two fundamental weaknesses that continue to threaten the government and stability of the country in general: a weak economy and a divided population prone to demonstrations that often turn violent. External involvement in the country, particularly from Russia, relieves these pressures somewhat but will not eliminate them altogether.