Iran war is unbegun. US meets with first reverse

According to Ariel Cohen, a senior fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation, the "US has gathered enough strength to do without Central Asian airbases during military operation against Iran". This was said in regard to the Ganci airbase (Manas airport) outside Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan that happens to be US military installation since 2001 leased by the government of Kyrgyzstan to the United States.

Honestly speaking, it is not that the US does not really need this base. The problem is that the rent got too high. Early this year, Kyrgyz authorities presented new terms to the United States for continued use of the Ganci air. The new conditions include increasing the rent, compensation for ecological damage, and landing and takeoff fees for planes.

Kyrgyzstan has indicated for some time that it wanted the terms of the lease changed. Under the original deal, which was signed in 2001, the US-led coalition paid Kyrgyzstan $2 million per year for use of the base. Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev in December indicated the increase would be significant and his country was seeking to increase the yearly rental payments to $220 million.

Bakiev said, "We are now reconsidering the situation around the American base. I have to say candidly if we reach a new agreement then they [Americans] will pay 100 times more. Otherwise, they will have to vacant base".

As we see, the US chose to remove its forces from Kyrgyz territory. Naturally, American politicians suffered a gross failure. Nevertheless, they wanted to save face and used authoritative expert Ariel Cohen to cover the retreat.