Chad Bickley was surprised to be on Soviet soil

One of those airmen is Staff Sergeant Chad Bickley from Virginia. He has served in the US air force for eight years now. He has worked in Africa, South America and the Midde East - but never thought he would end up on what was Soviet soil.

"Intially when I found out I was coming here, it was a humungous excitement and amazement, because I never imagined that I'd be in the former Soviet Union," he says.

"I was able to go home and tell my parents that I was going to the Soviet Union, and it was a shocker for them too."

It has also been a shocker for the Russians. Kyrgystan - like the rest of Central Asia - was once part of their empire. In the capital Bishkek, military memorials to the Red Army are everywhere.

For Russia, it is a provocative military threat

General Leonid Ivashov

For many Russians, like General Leonid Ivashov - until recently a senior commander at the Ministry of Defence in Moscow - the US presence in Central Asia is their worst nightmare come true.

"From this beach-head the US will be able to influence the whole region - even those countries where they don't have a presence," claims General Ivashov.

"For Russia, it's a provocative military threat - a threat that could weaken Russia's influence and links with the Central Asian states. That's dangerous - it could mean a zone of unfriendliness around Russia, and then I don't exclude hostile relations."

Government backing

Cynics in Moscow also ask whether the US is in the region to gain influence over its valuable oil and gas reserves. The US says not - and surprisingly, that view is backed in public by the Russian president Vladimir Putin.

He gave George Bush Russia's permission to base US forces in Central Asia - and has been an unexpectedly staunch ally in the war against terror.

Some speculate that Mr Putin allowed the US bases because Washington can use its military might to fight the battles Moscow no longer has the money or the manpower to fight - such as preventing Islamic insurgency seeping across Russia's southern borders.

The day is coming when all the world will join together in the fight against terrorism

General Wayne Lloyd

At Manas Airbase, the broad international support for the coalition campaign is on full display. French fighter jets and a force ranging from Norwegians to Australians back up the US effort.

The commanding officer, General Wayne Lloyd, says he has seen no hostility - Russian or Kyrgyz - towards the American presence here.

"It's my understanding that the Russians are also trying to support what we're doing.

"I hope they are and I would say the day is coming when all the world will join together in the fight against terrorism, and I think the Russians are a part of that."

Public relations

On patrol near Manas airbase, Staff Sergeant Chad Bickley is trying to win the hearts and minds of the local people - by offering local children bags of sweets.

The US presence could boost the local economy

That will not alleviate the dire poverty here, but the people of Kyrgystan do hope that in the long run, the US presence will bring jobs and investment.

The Kyrgyz Government does too. It sees the US bases as the country's best guarantee of security against the threat of Islamic fundamentalism, especially from the unstable Fergana Valley region.

Kidnappings and attacks by militants a year and a half ago made it clear just how unprepared Kyrgystan was. But the government's recent actions have made some here wonder if it's following its neighbours away from democracy and down the path of repression.

At an opposition demonstration in Jalalabad province last month, the Kyrgyz police panicked and started firing on a crowd that included women and children. Five people were killed and 80 injured.

Now, the Kyrgyz leadership stands accused of using US support and the fight against terrorism to silence dissenting voices at home - an accusation it denies.

Long-term support?

Yet one major question for many in Kyrgystan remains whether the US will make any future investment here dependent on economic and democratic reforms.

Analysts say that what leaders here and in the rest of central Asia need to address first is why Islamic militancy is spreading - and whether repressive policies are simply fanning the flames.

For the first time in decades, America and Russia seem to be working together in the region towards common goals - bringing help to Afghanistan, and trying to ensure peace in Central Asia.

This is a unique chance for the region's leaders to rebuild and reform their nations - and turn central Asia from a pawn into a player in its own destiny.

As yet it is not clear whether they are ready to seize that chance.

Caroline Wyatt's report was shown on Newsnight on 23 April 2002.