This is the first of two books written so far by Zamira Sydykova, founder and editor-in-chief of Kyrgyzstan's first independent newspaper, Res Publica. In each book, she traces the stages and trends of socio-political development in her country. The initial work in 1997 is dedicated to the causes of Kyrgyzstan’s first velvet revolution, in 1990, including the early steps of building a new state and the beginning of errors along the way. Mrs. Sydykova received several international human rights and journalism awards for her courage in standing for freedom of the press. She later served as the Ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic to the United States and Canada, from 2005 to 2010.