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Dec. 25, 2004 While the Bush administration justifies its invasion of Iraq on the grounds of democratizing the Middle East, a similar policy of democratization apparently does not apply to Central Asia. One of George W. Bush's newest Central Asian friends is Islam Karimov, Uzbekistan's neo- Stalinist dictator who allowed U.S. troops to set up a large and permanent military base on Uzbek soil during the Afghan campaign in late 2001. Since then, the Bush administration has ignored President Karimov's brutal suppression of opposition and Islamic groups. "Such people must be shot in the head. If necessary, I will shoot them myself," Karimov once famously told his parliament. According to human rights groups, there are at least 6,000 religious and political prisoners in Uzbekistan. Torture is widespread with reports of some dissidents even being boiled alive. In 2002, Washington granted Karimov's regime $500 million in aid and credit guarantees in return for the continued use of the military facilities in his country. Uzbekistan is set to hold parliamentary elections on the 26th of December but don't expect the vote to be free or fair in this former Soviet republic. Uzbek election officials have excluded all opposition parties from the poll. Only candidates from the five pro-government political parties are allowed to take part in the election. While U.S. officials have cast doubt on the fairness of the parliamentary elections, it is highly unlikely the Bush administration will take any further action due to Uzbekistan's strategic importance. In addition to providing support for American military operations in Afghanistan, the U.S. bases in Uzbekistan increase Washington's influence in the oil-rich region, allowing the U.S. to compete with Russia and China for access to Central Asian resources. The Bush administration's policy of supporting Central Asian autocrats, such as Karimov, for the sake of oil politics repeats the same mistakes that gave rise to Islamic extremism in the Middle East over the last several decades. Supporting such despots simply fuels an anti-Western backlash. Islamic radicals have already been blamed for a string of bomb attacks this year in Uzbekistan. Blasts in March killed nearly 50 people, while coordinated explosions at the U.S. and Israeli embassies in the capital, Tashkent, killed three people in July. Such attacks look set to increase. ------------ Email R.E. Drabik: xerkibard642@hotmail.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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