There has been some speculation that Russia might be maneuvering, behind the scenes, to get Kyrgyzstan's new leaders to shut down the Manas Air Base. This analysis from RFE/RL calls attention to a visit that a Kyrgyz opposition leader made to Moscow just before the demonstrations, where Vladimir Putin expressed support for the opposition. The country's new interim leader, Roza Otunbayeva, made her first phone call to Putin. And a senior unnamed Russian official told Reuters:

"In Kyrgyzstan, there should be only one base -- Russian. He said Bakiyev had failed to fulfill a promise to close the U.S. base."

Later in the RFE/RL piece, Alexander Cooley (him again) points out that it is totally reasonable for Otunbayeva to make her first call to Moscow: 

Central Asia observers aren't surprised by the new Kyrgyz leadership's courting of Russia. Columbia University professor Alexander Cooley, who wrote a book about the Manas air-base dispute, says relations between Bakiev and the Kremlin had deteriorated so much, Otunbaeva's first order of business was "to make nice" with Moscow.

"It's not surprising that the first public phone call she makes is with Putin," Cooley says. "She doesn't do a CNN appearance, she doesn't call Obama."

And it's also not too surprising that the Russians are trying to get the new leaders to kick the U.S. out. But it's hard to imagine how they might succeed. If the $2 billion they offered last year didn't work, what would? Despite the fact that the U.S. is paying considerably less than that, it's obviously in Bishkek's interest to do a little strategic balancing so as to not be overwhelmed by Russia.