Uzbekistan beats Iraq 1:0

After the European Football Championship 2004 in Portugal, interested football fans could follow the Asian Cup 2004 in China. The Uzbek team started the Cup with a victory over Iraq 1:0 thanks to an excellent free-kick by Mirjalol Qosimov, who plays in the Russian league. Uzbekistan is in Group C together with Turkmenistan, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan are the only central Asian countries to play in the Cup. There are many quite strong national teams in the Cup such as China, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Japan. However, according to the coach of the Uzbek team Ravshan Haydarov any team can “do a Greece”. For more coverage look at the Official website of the Asian Cup .

At the Powerhouse

On the off-hand chance I have any readers for whom seeing the sites of Sydney is a realistic possibility, I just saw that the Powerhouse Museum will have an exhibit of Central Asian textiles and ceramics. Its opening will coincide with the International Conference on Carpets. Also coinciding with the conference is an exhibition of rugs from Australian collections. I recently saw an exhibition of Turkmen rugs from Philadelphia collections, and it's fascinating to see what's hiding out there in people's homes.

Here's a description of the Central Asia exhibit at the Powerhouse:

Continue reading "At the Powerhouse"

A Little More Decert

I feel like I'm turning it up to 11 on this topic, but, I've got a few more decertification things for you.

Continue reading "A Little More Decert"

Art in Uzbekistan

Recently, I have discovered a very good site on art in Uzbekistan by Vyacheslav Useinov, an artist and a poet (a representative of the Fergana school of poetry).

I am not a professional art critic, but I was impressed by strong colours, sensuous lines, and I don’t know if it exists, with a deafening silence, with an emotional aggression that is violent and irresistible, but at the same time very pleasant.
I have not finished studying the pictures and the site in general, but I am very happy to see them online. The only thing which is a pity the site is in English and in Russian., and there is no Uzbek version.

Also see: this story.

A new member: about me

When I started reading the Argus articles I was pleasantly surprised to see a sincere desire and curiosity to learn about the region. So, I decided it would be a good idea if an Uzbek could give a local view about the discussed topics and expressed opinions.

And to start, I guess I should introduce myself.

I am 24 years old and I was born in a traditional and in some regard conservative family in Namangan. At the age of 7, I started the School, and it was a Russian school. However, at the same time, my grandmother insisted that I should go to a Koranic school as well, as she wanted to see me become a mullah, or at least Qori (someone who knows the Koran by heart). So, usually I would wake up at around 6 o’clock or earlier, put on my Uzbek robe and duppi, and go to the house of my religious teacher to make a morning prier together and then recite what I have memorised of the Koran the day before. After I return home, I would put on my red communist tie for pioneers to go to school, where I was the head of my class “Pioneer” movement (as you know the Soviet scheme preparing of communists was: Oktabryonok- Pioner-Komsomolets-Communist).

After 1992, the Turkish opened schools all over Uzbekistan, and I started attending one of those Turkish schools in 1995. Even though, the schools belonged to Nurcular religious movement, the level of education was very high, at least in comparison with local standards.

After the Turkish school, I have spent 5 years at the UWED in the International economics faculty, where I have become more familiar with the West, thanks to the CAFE, the British Council, Alliance française, and my western teachers and professors. I say thanks because I guess combining Uzbek traditional culture with Soviet Communist culture, and then with Turkish proislamic culture, and then with western culture gave me the opportunity to become a better person with a broader view about many things.

This year I have been studying in Grenoble, France for a Master degree in development studies. (with Soros scholarship). Currently, I am doing my internship at the French Economic Mission in Istanbul.

I adore contemporary art, I am an agnostic, I love French and Mediterranean cuisine, enjoy French comedies, French literature, can’t imagine my life without good French wine and cheese, don’t like much fast food, McDonalds and Co, and American pop culture in general.

Well, I guess that sheds some light over my personality.

And I really hope I would be able to understand better this complex region together with the readers of this site.

FT on Decertification (Updated)

The consideration of decertification from the Financial Times is so good, you have to read it. But, because these things disappear rather quickly, I'll heavily excerpt it.

Continue reading "FT on Decertification (Updated)"

An Unexpected Light

An Unexpected Light is, if nothing else, a strong argument against most other travel books in print (the ones I've read anyway). Intensely personal, and following author Jason Elliot's journey around Afghanistan in the '90s, the book stands out because one never get the sense that Elliot is using the trip to try to discover any deep truths.

Constantly asked about his purposes in Afghanistan by locals and Europeans, Elliot always answered he was writing a book, but he wasn't sure exactly what it would be about yet. Afghans usually didn't care (even when they assumed he was a spy), they just were happy that someone would read about their country in Inglistan. However, in response to a Dutch aid worker who felt Elliot's whole endeavor was ridiculously stupid, Elliot addresses the failings of most travel books.

Continue reading "An Unexpected Light"

Time To Topple the 'Bashi?

Via Brian's Study Breaks comes word of some rare signs of discontent in Turkmenistan.

Police and security forces in Turkmenistan are still looking for the people responsible for distributing leaflets in bazaars in Ashgabat last week that called for the overthrow of President Saparmurat Niyazov's government. Acts of protest are rare in the country, where order is strictly maintained and dissidents are quickly jailed or forced into exile.

An Ashgabat resident was willing to confirm that the leaflets did indeed appear but he indicated in his comments that the topic is dangerous: "It happened, but people are afraid to speak about it. You ask people 'Were you there? did you see?' They say it's better not to bring it up. Many are afraid to talk about it; even in private conversations the subject is avoided. The people cannot say openly what they know."

The leaflets say that Turkmen people were born free, that they are a proud people who deserve to be liberated from tyranny. They say that the time has come to take responsibility for the future of the country's children, that the time has come to overthrow Niyazov and bring him to trial.

In an appeal to the country's Muslims, the leaflets call for the faithful to avoid worshipping at the new mosque Niyazov is building in his former hometown outside Ashgabat.

Melons

Nice melons.

Now, when's this going to happen in the US. It'll change your melon habits forever.

Continuing Coverage

From Interfax:

Uzbek President Islam Karimov wants to develop relations with the U.S., a presidential administration source told Interfax on Thursday.

"We stand for the comprehensive development of relations with the United States. This meets the national interests of Uzbekistan," Karimov said at a Wednesday meeting with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Elizabeth Jones.

The CSM has some new, but not unexpected info,

Uzbekistan's state media have not announced the US move.

"I think that up to now nobody here has heard about the decision," says Uzbek political analyst Marina Pikulina. Far more relevant to everyday Uzbeks, she says, are the recent warming of relations with Russia. "Our business community was very glad about that, because they hope the borders will be opened up."

Via Ferghana.ru comes two pieces form Vremya Novostei--a story on Undersecretary Jones's visit and an analytical piece.

Aitmatov Hospitalized

Chingiz Aitmatov has been hospitalized in Bishkek. ITAR-TASS reports that his condition is grave. You can find more on Aitmatov in this essay. Most who do know of him know him through The Day Lasts More Than A Hundred Years.

Other Uzbekistan News

Other stuff is going on there too, so here's a few Uzbekistan stories of note.

This Olympian is originally from Uzbekistan. A good portion of the Israeli Olympic squad is originally from the former Soviet Union.

The LA Times has a letter from a Jew of Uzbek heritage in response to a recent story on Uzbekistan.

The new world chess champion is from Uzbekistan (longer version here).

A new blog by a Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Uzbekistan. He came in the group after me, and I know him, even though he was way the hell out west in Khiva (if I remember correctly). He's a talented musician as well!

Asking The Right Question

[NOTE: I will be adding additional stories as they become available in this post--Nathan]

RFE/RL's decertification coverage asks the right question: will there be any practical impact?

It's really hard to answer that question. The most realistic answer is "maybe." If Europe follows suit, it might make a difference.

At the same time, considering that we gave $86 million last year, the Uzbek government can't be too upset losing $18 million. It's entirely possible that the Uzbek government doesn't really see the loss of aid as a big deal. Further, they are in a pretty good position to ask for a lot more than $18 million in direct aid (there's still a lot of indirect aid, direct payments, and weapons-related military spending) to seriously change their act.

What might be the biggest positive impact?

Vatanka of the Jane's group agrees that the decision is unlikely to affect bilateral relations, noting that both sides see an advantage in maintaining good ties. Vatanka predicts the Uzbek government will probably make some token changes, but none that would jeopardize the hold the current regime has on the country.

"[The Uzbek government is] willing to do something about it as long as it doesn't reduce the grip on power that President [Islam] Karimov has," Vatanka said. "Sure, you might see reform coming out of Uzbekistan, but it wouldn't be anything structurally significant as far as the state machinery is concerned. External pressure -- as important as it is in the case of Uzbekistan -- is not going to be the decisive factor. I think what will bring about reform in Uzbekistan will relate to the internal dynamics of policymaking in Uzbekistan."

On the positive side, the programs that will help change the internal dynamics are still funded. What my fear has always been in the decertification debate is that deciding to cut aid will lead to the expulsion of these programs. I'm cautiously optimistic this won't be the case, but we'll have to see.

UPDATE: Joining OTB Traffic Jam

Rukhnama 2

Coming in September. I don't even have part 1 yet.

Continue reading "Rukhnama 2"

More Decertification Coverage

Like I said in the comments on the previous post, much of my opposition to decertification had to do with the reaction of the Uzbek government. That's not to say that the US should bend over backwards to make a dictator happy, but there is some tightrope-walking involved in aid that works both with and against the interests of an authoritarian government. Considering the general trends in Uzbek foreign policy, it seemed too much of a gamble to risk "losing" Uzbekistan over $18 million.

This could be a great thing. Uzbekistan could decide it wants a strong partnership with the US more than it wants to maintain its domestic status quo. Time will tell.

More stories in the extended entry.

Continue reading "More Decertification Coverage"

[BREAKING NEWS] He did it...

POWELL DECERTIFIES UZBEKISTAN

Now it's in the hands of Congress.

Two Three stories below the fold.

Continue reading "[BREAKING NEWS] He did it... "

Reasons for Pessimism

Tajikistan:

The US geopolitical position in Tajikistan has gone from bad to worse in recent weeks. Russia appears to have succeeded in achieving a long-held goal of establishing a permanent military base in Tajikistan, while China has bolstered its strategic presence with the opening of a Khorog-Kashgar road link. At the same time, there are signs that Tajik skepticism over strategic cooperation with the United States is growing.

Kyrgyzstan:

In another sign of Kyrgyzstan’s apparent shift away from the West, the country’s security forces have accused foreign civil rights advocates of helping the radical Islamic group Hizb-ut-Tahrir.

At a government meeting on 28 June, National Security Service, NSS, spokesman Tokon Mamitov said the banned group was exploiting the undue attention it was paid by groups like the United States-based Freedom House.

As a result, Mamitov said, Hizb-ut-Tahrir had changed its tactics, which now “take the form of complaints of mistreatment by security service officers, which are then sent on to the media and international human rights organisations. These groups then present Hizb ut-Tahrir activists as victims persecuted by the authorities for their religious beliefs, and put pressure on law enforcement officers, thus obstructing attempts to curtail Hizb ut-Tahrir’s activities.”

Uzbekistan: See my earlier post, which is cause for pessimism for the whole region.

On the other hand, there's some good news from Afghanistan.

Operation "Buy Hitchens A Drink!"

I like Christopher Hitchens enough that I have set up an MSN alert to send me a text message every time he's got something up at Slate. Over at Winds of Change, Joe has set up a collection drive to buy Hitch some of his favorite libation. It will be delivered to him with a note of appreciation from the bloggers and readers that have chipped in.

Go check it out, and while you're at it, read Hitch's latest: PLame's Lame Game.

UZ-18 Cancelled

Dee emailed to let me know that the UZ-18 Peace Corps group set to leave for Uzbekistan next month has been postponed or cancelled. Dee has since posted about this and it looks like the official explanation has to do with trouble issuing visas--which, in my limited experience, is the front line in diplomatic battles. Volunteers currently serving are also having difficulty with paperwork renewal (which, if I remember correctly would not be the visa, but the registration from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that authorizes the length of stay and work status).

Continue reading "UZ-18 Cancelled"

Weekly Roundup

No earth-shattering stories this week. But then again, it's so damned hot across so much of Central Asia right now that no one can really get out and make any news.

I'm still looking for info on Kyrgyzstan's communications system (Jodi... I'm looking at you...). And, does anyone remember the Mongolian ninjas? Well, yes, they did get their names from the turtles says a new commenter.

On to the news...

Continue reading "Weekly Roundup"

Uzbek Certification: Why is it required?

As I've been (very) slowly reading through the transcripts from the Uzbekistan certification hearing, I've repeatedly gotten the impression that the whole certification process is an extraordinary measure. What reporting there has been on the process has been extremely vague on whether or not aid normally must pass this clearance or whether Congress made this a special requirement for Uzbekistan.

Continue reading "Uzbek Certification: Why is it required?"

Really, Matt?

Wow, seems I missed this one. The pile-on went Josh's way, but there's no reason to leave Matthew out.

Because I dealt with why Matthew is wrong about Uzbekistan in my earlier post, I won't repeat myself.

Let me add a couple things though.

Matthew says (and I'm dropping the stuff about Democrats here),

The notion that Bush has adopted some variant of the traditional liberal concern with spreading American values [...] has a vice-like grip on the American discourse, but there's absolutely no evidence whatsoever that this is what Bush has done.

Unless you look for it...

I think the reason that Matthew and Josh are so miffed is revealed in the title of the Yglesias post: "Democracy Now?" Their metric for judging whether or not the Bush Administration has a genuine commitment to democracy promotion is action, not rhetoric. They are right to feel that way. However, their analysis breaks down either because they are too lazy to actually look for the results or they have unreasonably high expectations. Though I know there's some of the former going on*, they exhibit the latter (what the hell is with the aircraft carrier analogy? Comparing social change to producing ships?).

Democracy Now?

If the Bush administration could push as hard as it wanted, to the point of ordering elections, without any blowback from the autocrats, the results would be atrocious. Few of those countries would make it to a second free election. The slow-and-steady strategy of constructive engagement that Clinton started and Bush continued with the addition of repeatedly and publicly promoting democracy will win this race--even if the pundits can't see what's happening.

*Almost all "jack-of-all-trade" pundits have the problem of being lightweights when it comes to dealing with the factual nitty-gritty, even the ones I love. Their real strenth is in argumentation.

UPDATE: Props to praktike in Matthew's comments section! Didn't see that at first.

All Your Stans Are Belong To Us...

One of my favorite things to see on my site referral list is links from others' comments sections such as in this one left by Tim Newman. One of my goals when starting this blog was to address the major lack of coverage and poor understanding of Central Asia. As far as the blogosphere is concerned, much of what I see about Central Asia (news-wise anyway)--Uzbekistan in particular, consists of innuendo and conspiracy with a smattering of fact. Too often, people cede ground in debates on Central Asia because so little is known or easy to find about the region (see a recent post from Prof. Drezner for example--last update).

Of course this bothers me and it's something of an uphill battle, so the help from my readers is much appreciated.

One of the little-known aspects of the Peace Corps is that there is encouragement to make the service life-long through the third goal. I take the third goal very seriously. When I see that minds have been changed or that new understanding has been gained, it makes me know that I'm doing something right.

I sincerely appreciate all of you and your contributions to making this thing more of a success than I alone could make it.

Georgia-Ossetia Fighting Averted

Georgian and South Ossetian negotiators have agreed to refrain from further provocation, but the conflict with Russia over weapons deployed in the conflict zone remains. President Saakashvili is calling for the role of the Russians to be reassessed and has accused them of siding with the separatists.

South Ossetia Conflict Heats Up

Since Georgian troops seized Russian military equipment on July 7th, the conflict in South Ossetia has gotten much messier, with the Ossetian side in particular becoming bold in attacking Georgian troops and villages.

On the 8th, South Ossetian troops captured Georgian peacekeepers, most of whom have since been released. On the 10th, Ossetian troops attacked Georgian positions in the conflict zone.

Reports say three servicemen of Georgian internal troops and one policeman were wounded in an overnight shootout in the South Ossetian conflict zone.

Three other Georgian soldiers were wounded on July 8 as a result of an armed attack against the checkpoint located between the Georgian villages of Kurta and Tamarasheni in breakaway South Ossetia.

This report says that the Ossetians directly attacked a village and destroyed part of a school and a playground.Interfax reports that Georgian troops also initiated attacks the same night.

Tskhinvali authorities had reported earlier that a South Ossetian police outpost had been fired upon by an unidentified Georgian armed unit on Friday evening. Several people were wounded in the incident, chief of the South Ossetian information and press department Irina Gagloyeva told Interfax.

The latest attack seems to have seriously angered the Georgians, who vowed not be drawn into a fight after their peacekeepers were detained. At a military graduation ceremony, Saakashvili said,

"Should there be any aggression from outside, we will meet it with aggression," Saakashvili told the graduates. "Great battles await Georgia...and we shall win them."

Continue reading "South Ossetia Conflict Heats Up"

Yezidi Superhero

In case you missed the Yezidi post from the other day, check it out. Praktike collected a number of great links, but he missed King Peacock (also here) who appeared in Top Ten.

Kyrgyz Phones Again...

I got a little more info on the Kyrgyz Telecoms question from the other day.

What we're looking for is stories about how communications technology is used there and what it costs if possible. If you have any stories, they'd be appreciated. Also, if you can solicit them from locals or others who've lived or worked in Kyrgyzstan, that'd be great.

I have my Uzbekistan stories and they're probably pretty similar, but considering this is all in the name of science (this is for a Professor at Mercyhurst College in Erie, PA), I'd rather not extrapolate. On the other hand, in the name of entertainment, feel free to drop any phone/internet/cellular horror stories or general info in the comments.

Continue reading "Kyrgyz Phones Again..."

Stereotypology

In Amanda's latest from Kazakstan, she mentions that the Russian and Kazaks look down on Uzbeks. She's extra nice to them, partly because she says I'd never forgive her. Honestly, I was never particularly close to or friendly with Uzbeks in general. A few families, the occasional delightful person, and college kids in general were great. It was Russians, Tatars, Tajiks, Kazaks, Koreans, and Karakalpaks that I liked best. In other words, the minorities were my favorites. They tended to view me as a fellow outsider (of a different degree) and really opened up. So, I think she should be friendly with Uzbeks because they're more likely to be friends simply for friendship's sake.

Anyway, when I first read that the Uzbeks aren't treated well, I had a couple reactions. First was that Russians in Central Asia often acted like the sun never shined until they showed up. They will occasionally say the nastiest things about the stupidity and helplessness of locals (hey, that's what happens when you give sub-par educational opportunities to entire nationalities).

Continue reading "Stereotypology"

Disturbing News from Kyrgyzstan

I've heard the Kyrgyz government make the following claim before.

The Kyrgyz National Security Service believes that militants from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan might have been involved in attempted terrorist attacks on the anti- terrorist coalition base in the Bishkek airport, Service Chairman Kalyk Imankulov said on Thursday.

"The National Security Service believes that the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan might have been involved in attempts to commit terrorist attacks at the Gansi airbase at Manas International Airport near Bishkek," he said.

Former airbase commander Steven Kelly said recently that Kyrgyzstan and the airbase security service had prevented no less than three terrorist attacks. Imankulov said there were extremist groups in Kyrgyzstan and one of them tried to carry out an act of terror at the airbase. He said that the attackers were arrested and that there is indirect evidence that they were linked to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.

Ganci is where US planes in Kyrgyzstan are based. This appears to be new attacks.

The determination to strike the airbase is troublesome enough. But, the arrest of Islamist spies is a very bad development for Kyrgyzstan.

Kyrgyzstan's security services identified six people on Thursday who were arrested this month on suspicion of spying for Islamic extremists abroad and said more detentions might follow.

They were the first group arrests on spying charges in the impoverished ex-Soviet republic for half a century, but opposition groups accused the authorities of using the threat of Islamic extremism to clamp down on dissent ahead of elections. "I can't rule out further arrests," National Security Service (NSS) chief Kalyk Imankulov told a news conference. He denied any political motivation behind the arrests. The NSS, a successor to the Soviet KGB, had originally said it arrested "around 10" people who were a cell of government officials linked to Islamic extremists.

The six identified on Thursday included an alleged cell of one male and one female police officer, a college lecturer, a businessman and an employee of the government's courier service.

A colonel from the Border Guards was also named, although he was not accused of acting in concert with the other five.

Imankulov said the detainees had sold top-secret Kyrgyz documents to foreigners for two years, earning around $60,000 -- a sizeable sum in a country where average wages are $50 a month.

Could be trumped up charges, but I'm inclined to believe this case is the real deal.

I don't know if the airbase and espionage arrests are at all connected but these two stories worry me a great deal.

A Tale of Two Ambassadors

If true, Norway's Ambassador to Azerbaijan showed extremely bad behavior at the Juma Mosque in Baku.

The Office of the Caucasus Muslims (QMI) condemned the Norwegian ambassador in Baku, Steinar Gil, on Thursday, claiming that he insulted believers by visiting Baku’s Juma mosque on Jule 4 while drunk.

Haji Salman Musayev, deputy chairman of QMI, said the ambassador Gil scoffed at Juma congregants for their failure to protect their religious rights, calling them “cowards.”

In Norway's defense, they have been sheltering opposition activists and are getting a lot of heat from the state press.

Here's how US Ambassador Reno Harnish behaved at the mosque.

On July 5, US Ambassador Reno Harnish made an appearance at the mosque in an apparent expression of concern over recent developments.

According to the BBC report, the police backed off.

Not much you say? That's fair, but it is a fairly loud shout in diplomatese. It's rare for the ambassador to go on these assignements and I can assure you that Azerbaijan understands what it means.

For more on the conflict at the Baku Mosque, read EurasieNet's latest.