About visit of Ambassador O’Keefe to Utah Valley University
Ambassador John O’Keefe visit to Utah Valley University on September 19, 2011 had special meaning:
1) As a current executive director of the Open World Leadership center at the U.S. Library of Congress, VIP-guest from Washington, D.C. was willing to express his appreciation to Utah Valley University and Dr. Rusty Butler, Associate Vice-president, International Affairs and Diplomacy at UVU in particular, for hosting groups from former Soviet states under the umbrella of the program Open World since 2007. UVU was included in the program in order to deepen emerging ties between Central Asia and Utah due to successful visit to UVU then of the Speaker of the Kyrgyz Parliament Marat Sultanov in February 2007. Dignitaries from Kyrgyzstan were hosted by the President of the Utah State Senate John Valentine. According to the Centers’ mission statement, it aims: ”To enhance understanding and capabilities for cooperation between the United States and the countries of Eurasia by developing a network of leaders in the region who have gained significant, firsthand exposure to America’s democratic, accountable government and its free-market system.”
Ambassador O’Keefe expresses thanks to the host-families from Utah county ( L- R ):Quaco and Lunds
2) As the Ambassador of the U.S. to Kyrgyzstan during 2000-2002, John O’Keefe successfully facilitated a wide-ranged dialogue between the two nations. He led the U.S. delegation during the Bishkek Global Mountain Summit in October 2002, which was then a highlight of the International Year of Mountains celebration under the umbrella of the United Nations. Ambassador O’Keefe continued to support further emerging ties between Central Asia and Rocky Mountains with a focus on promoting sustainable mountain development agenda of the United Nations. Open World Leadership center facilitated a participation of the women group from Kyrgyzstan at the second international Conference Women of the Mountains on March 8-9, 2011 at Utah Valley University and Ambassador O’Keefe planned to be in Orem during that time as well. Due to sudden changes in his official agenda, he wrote instead a letter with greetings to the organizers of the conference (enclosed).
3) Ambassador O’Keefe also played a key role during negotiations about the deployment of the military base Manas in Kyrgyzstan for coalition troops fighting in Afghanistan in December 2001. His main presentation at Utah Valley University is about the history of negotiations between the U.S. Administration and the Kyrgyz government which resulted in creating this strategically important military installment. It is also the first event at UVU campus, both, dedicated to the commemoration of the 10th Anniversary of the Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, and involving Utah International Mountain Forum as a co-host of the visit of VIP-guest.
Baktybek Abdrisaev, Lecturer, History and Political Science Department, Advisor, Foreign Affairs Club, Utah Valley University
Ambassador O’Keefe presentation before
the students of Utah Valley University
on September 19, 2011
Ambassador O’Keefe’s presentation was mostly about his time as Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan and the process he went through to help open the U.S. airbase in Kyrgystan for the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. He began by addressing us about the game between Russia and the U.S. and how it changed after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the U.S. He explained how the old game before 9/11 and during the cold war was mostly about territory and gaining territory. Russia and Great Britain were the main players in the region with China on the sidelines as a minor worry to keep happy. The new game now involves Russia, China and the U.S. as key players in the region with the war in the Middle East. The European Union, Iran and Pakistan were now minor players in the region and the new sovereign states that emerged from the Soviet collapse now had significant leverage to help balance their own interests with the larger players in the world such as the U.S. and Russia.
Lecturing before Utah Valley students
Russia had a new assertive foreign policy using sophisticated modern tools to gain diplomacy through coalitions such as the Shanghai Organizations. Russia also had major influence over the public of Kyrgyzstan through the media that was broadcast from Russia into the Republic. That being so the approval rating for the U.S. in Kyrgyzstan was not very high, so the idea of the U.S. putting an airbase in the country may not have sat well with many in the country. Ambassador O’Keefe was surprised that when he returned to the embassy that there was an outpouring of sympathy toward the U.S. after the 9/11 attacks. Many people from the public had com and left gifts and flowers as a symbol of their sympathy and sadness for what had happened in the U.S. In the region there were several countries that were central to U.S. policy in the area and close enough to Afghanistan to conduct the operations. Kazakhstan had substantial energy reserves and had good relations with all the major players in the region, U.S., China and Russia. Turkmenistan has a very small population and an idiosyncratic leadership – but had substantial reserves of natural gas. Tajikistan has limited resources and strong Iranian interest, which would make it unsuitable for an airbase. In Uzbekistan, their alliance would move from the U.S. to Russia and back but they were worried about Islamic extremism so they could provide a useful ally on the fight on terror.
Students of Utah Valley University listen dignitary
The U.S. interests in the Kyrgyz Republic before 9/11 was to help the democratic state build a stable and prosperous state, but the U.S.’s interest didn’t go much farther than that. After 9/11 the U.S. needed an airbase in the area to conduct operations in the Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Kyrgyz offered their airports for use by the U.S. The U.S. wanted to use the main public airport in area and the Kyrgyz agreed as long as the U.S. met three demands. Which were to provide regional stability, provide geopolitical leverage in the area, which the U.S. provided by simply being there and of course to provide some economic benefit, which would happen by the U.S. paying to use the airport for their needs. Even though the Kyrgyz people never asked for payment for use of the airbase, Ambassador O’Keefe thought it was important that the U.S. pay in good faith and help the people of the area.
Rory Heslington, student UVU, major in Political Science
