Blogging Down the Dictator? The Kyrgyz Revolution and Samizdat Websites

Abstract

This article evaluates the impact and significance of Akaevu.net, an advocacy blog that was linked to the recent ‘tulip revolution’ in Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet republic of Central Asia. The studyassesses (1) to what extent do samizdat (that is, unofficial) blogs serve as sources of oppositional information for citizens of the nation as well as international observers and (2) what evidence is there of the effects of the samizdat blogs on political events, such as, in this case,the revolution itself? The authors found that the blog did indeed become a unique and rich source of information not available from other local sources or the world press. They suggest that samizdat blogs can serve to incite or sustain democratization in Third World countries, even those undergoing uneven economic development.

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