Monday, July 10, 2006
Uzbekistan and America
There was a time when there were Americans in Tashkent, never many, but always a few. Those were the good days, before things soured between the US and Uzbekistan. They had warmed up after September 11th, when the US built up a military presence at the airbase near Afghanistan and the Uzbeks became a key partner in the US lead coalition in the war against terror.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/waronterror/story/0,,564348,00.html
Relations cooled with the US and the West, reaching an all time low when after a massacre in the country, the US called for an independent investigation.
http://www.voanews.com/uspolicy/archive/2005-06/2005-06-14-voa1.cfm
Shortly thereafter, the Uzbeks asked the Americans to vacate the airbase.
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/07/f30ba0ce-ce97-47a1-9116-e27d25bbce8a.html
At the same time, US businesses -- the few that existed -- were getting harassed, assistance programs were getting kicked out. Today, there are hardly any foreigners left there. ¶ 9:30 PM
There was a time when there were Americans in Tashkent, never many, but always a few. Those were the good days, before things soured between the US and Uzbekistan. They had warmed up after September 11th, when the US built up a military presence at the airbase near Afghanistan and the Uzbeks became a key partner in the US lead coalition in the war against terror.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/waronterror/story/0,,564348,00.html
Relations cooled with the US and the West, reaching an all time low when after a massacre in the country, the US called for an independent investigation.
http://www.voanews.com/uspolicy/archive/2005-06/2005-06-14-voa1.cfm
Shortly thereafter, the Uzbeks asked the Americans to vacate the airbase.
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/07/f30ba0ce-ce97-47a1-9116-e27d25bbce8a.html
At the same time, US businesses -- the few that existed -- were getting harassed, assistance programs were getting kicked out. Today, there are hardly any foreigners left there. ¶ 9:30 PM
