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Category Archives: Uzbekistan Post PC
Third World Bail Bonds
I was watching some YouTube videos about the housing crisis in Detroit and I noticed a recurring theme among commentators that the situation there resembled that of a third world country. I have spent some time in third world countries, and I think that the comparison could not be further off. While third world countries are poor and people there often appear to be living in squalor, their villages and neighborhoods tend to be vital and teeming with activity. In my Uzbek village where I first stayed, other than the main street, the rest of the roads were dirt. Chicken and cows were more or less everywhere, and many of the homes were quite crude. Nevertheless, there was a feeling that the little village was a place where people lived and transacted the business of daily life. The images out of Detroit (which are strikingly similar to many areas of New Orleans,) lack this vitality of place.
Americans’ bandying of the term “third world” is most often done so from a place of ignorance. My issue is primarily semantic; though the term may no longer be politically correct, I am particularly bothered by the meaning that it is meant to convey. Third world is shorthand for: abandonment, neglect, blight, danger and decay. While each of these conditions may apply to certain third world communities, they by no means define the totality of circumstances of life in such places. Third world communities are often developing, and more often than not, the people who live there take great pride in their communities; one doesn’t need a green lawn in front of a McMansion to convey pride of place.
While the third world is developing, Detroit, and many other areas in this country, are regressing. This regression is painful and shocking; formerly middle class neighborhoods reduced to blighted ghettos does not make a pretty picture. But let’s quit with the presumptuous fiction that our society’s failures resemble those of the third world. The conditions that we have created are distinct and must be analyzed in context. Racial tensions, economics, education, drugs, cultural values… these are our fault lines. Let’s be outraged at what’s happened and let’s be motivated to do something about it. But let’s also be honest about that fact that our problem is distinctly American, and as one video ominously noted in closing, “coming to a city near you!”
Central Asian Cotton
The New York Times has an article about the corrupt cotton system in Tajikistan. Reading the article reminded me of how, in Uzbekistan, school children are called from classes for one two two months each fall during the harvest to pick cotton. Although from an outside perspective this seems like blatant forced labor, the Uzbeks with whom I spoke viewed this labor as more or less “the usual.” The Environmental Justice Foundation has a good primer on the Uzbek cotton issue.
The sad part of this story is that the wealth obtained from the cotton is not distributed among those who cultivated it. Instead, corrupt officials and businessmen rip-off the local farmer at every step of the way, thus establishing a sharecropper system. Farmers are left with little choice but to acquiesce to the demands of the corrupt kleptocracy. In a country with such good people, it’s a shame that the wealth created by cotton is not used to modernize villages and invest in education. This system is just one of many used to keep the people powerless and constantly on the edge.
One Year Ago Today
One year ago today, a series of events went down in Andijon, Uzbekistan. The details of the story vary widely depending on who you ask, but things boil down to two versions. The first is offered by the Uzbek Government: A group of radical Islamic militants, wishing to overthrow the Uzbek regime and establish a caliphate, took police and governmental officials hostage. During this protest, many people, including innocent civilians, were killed. The second version, offered by human rights organizations and most journalistic outfits, speaks of a popular protest against the government lead by a group of businessmen who had been singled out for spurious prosecution by the Uzbek state. In this scenario, it is claimed that the Uzbek authorities (police and military,) were guilty of killing hundreds of civilians in order to regain authority.
Recently, the Uzbek Embassy in Belgium released a video regarding these events. View the video by clicking here. What you will see is the first point articulated. My opinion of this video is that what you are seeing is the false confessions of otherwise innocent civilians garnered under duress (read, torture.) It is chilling. Also, near the end of the video, the logic of the “Western Expert Uzbek” is so flawed, it could be considered laughable were the situation not so grave. To see the other side of the story, the one which I am more inclined to believe, please view the BBC News article here.
This video must be understood within context. The Uzbek regime is a closed Soviet style system. Public dissent, though not non-existent, is rare. The few protests that have occurred within the country in recent years are related to economic grievances. Therefore, the unofficial version, in which the violent chain of events began with peaceful protests against unfair crackdowns on businessmen by the state, is believable. Since the Uzbek government is unwilling to entertain such protests, it is therefore given the task of spinning any such events in its favor. And, taking a cue from our dear leader (see top right of this website,) it uses the specter of terrorism. That is, any individuals with complaints against the state are accused of being radical Islamic terrorists, therefore justifying severe retribution by the government.
This position is troublesome for a number of reasons. The first is that the Uzbek government is able to take a fear which has some basis of truth and exaggerate it for its own means. From all accounts there are some movements which would like to establish an Islamic state in the region; such theocrats would view the secular (and morally corrupt) Karimov regime as a target. So to dismiss the fact that there exist some terrorists is naïve. The same is true regarding those who would wish to destroy the United States, and so on… Like he who shall not be named, Karimov has taken this fear, which is grounded in some measure of truth, and used it to his political advantage. Therefore, while claiming to protect the Uzbeks from Islamic terrorists, he is also stifling any form of protest directed against the state. However, with Andijon, things got out of hand, and the damage control has been extensive: expulsion of international civil society NGOs, expulsion of US forces from the Karshi-Khanabad air force base in the south of the country, an anti-Western media blitz in state run media, and the strengthening of ties with Russia and China.
And this brings me to my second point which is that Karimov’s playbook was, until this boiling point, supported by the US government. Although his regime was guilty of gross violations of basic human rights, the US provided Uzbekistan with economic and humanitarian aid. Since we needed the Karshi base for operations in the region post 9/11, we were willing to look the other way. Karimov understandably took this and ran with it; as long as we had our base he would be able to maintain, indeed intensify his crackdown against all dissent.
Such was the situation when I, and over 60 other volunteers, touched down in Tashkent one cold morning in January 2005. My time in Uzbekistan revealed that these troubles were far from the daily worries of average citizens. Although they all knew that something was not right, and lamented that their formerly eminent culture had become a mere shadow of what it once was, their main concerns were providing for their families and getting by. The tragedy of this drama is poignant, representing yet another failure of moral leadership by our government with far reaching consequences. And although Andijon may be out of mind for most Americans, as Uzbeks in the area today mourn in silence, it couldn’t be closer to home.
What We’ve Forgotten
So much is going on these days, that I find it hard just to keep track of things. As you’ve probably already noticed, I have added an “Impeach Bush” banner to the top right-hand of this site. Here’s my rationale for this: By condoning secret wiretaps on American citizens and sidestepping the FISA court, George W. Bush has violated our constitutional protections regarding unreasonable searches. As the President, he swore to uphold the Constitution. Since these actions are contrary to that oath, he must be removed. What I’m really dumbfounded about is how Clinton’s BJ ranked as a more serious threat to our nation than Bush’s current actions. As the right wing continues to melt down and crooks and liars are exposed for who they really are, I hope that this demand becomes more powerful. Even if we are unsuccessful in the actual impeachment, it is crucial that we try; someone like Bush, unlike Nixon (who, while a nut, did at least leave the country with a few good social programs,) will never resign.
Since I’m abroad, I am unable to watch the David Letterman show. I like Letterman. He’s got a wit about him that resonates with me. Well, I’m very sad I missed this live, but thanks to the wonders of the internet, I was able to view a segment of his show where he had Bill O’Reilly as a guest. O’Reilly, one of the Right’s most shrill shills, gets his ass handed to him on a silver platter by the king of late night. Enjoy the files in the following formats: (Windows Media – WMV Bittorrent – QuickTime Bittorrent) This is well worth the download – trust me!
I’d also like to announce some new sites that have been added to the Links section of this blog:
MadKane – I stumbled across this lady’s website while looking for limericks for my students. She is a talented humorist who makes political limericks and popular song parodies regarding current political events. Her site includes a blog, lyrics and a podcast.
White Rose Society – I’ve mentioned before that I enjoy listening to the Mike Malloy Show on Air America Radio. Since I’m far from the airwaves, and to listen live I’d have to get up at 6 a.m., I download the episodes from this site. Not only is the Mike Malloy show included, but you’ll find many other liberal talk radio hosts here. Superb service.
GLBT- A new category has been created for GLBT issues.
After Elton – This site discusses the portrayal of GLBT people in the mainstream media.
BlogActive – A very controversial blog, the goal of BlogActive is to illuminate anti-gay types who are found to be gay themselves. Considering that the Republican party is full of such individuals, there is always fresh content.
Uzbekistan – A new category has been created for issues relating to Uzbekistan.
Craig Murray – Mr. Murray was the UK’s former Ambassador to Uzbekistan. Known now as a whistleblower, he refused to keep quiet about the murderous regime of Islam Karimov which was being supported by the US/UK as part of the global “war on terror.” Mr. Murray has recently released some firsthand documents, called the Tashkent Memos – and will soon have a book out on the whole subject. Fascinating reading, and insightful about the dark and dirty side of this new “war.”
Eurasia Insight – This site features articles regarding civil society initiatives in the Central Asia / Caucuses region. This site is mostly sober and article based and offers a good starting point to those who wish to understand the complexities of the region.
neweurasia – This relatively new site is in the list because it purports to be student-run. Some interesting takes on current events.
Registan.net – Arguably the king of Central Asian / Uzbekistan sites, Registan.net provides extensive coverage (and linkage,) along with mostly sound commentary from a libertarian perspective.
In my American History classes, we are now up to World War II, and I’ve set aside the whole month (translation – four 50 minute periods) to study this subject. In my Culture and Civilization classes, we are discussing Iraq. So I decided to kill two birds with one stone and teach both classes the infamous Supreme Court case, Korematsu v United States (1944.) This case regards the internment of Japanese Americans from the West Coast during the war. The basic idea was that since some Japanese Americans may have retained loyalties to the Emperor of Japan, it was not safe to have such individuals living near the West Coast, where they might possibly assist the enemy. FDR approved of this, and the internment was carried out.
The majority opinion of the court agreed that this was Constitutionally valid. Here is some of what the judges had to say:
“Exclusion of those of Japanese origin was deemed necessary because of the presence of an unascertained number of disloyal members of the group… it was impossible to bring about an immediate segregation of the disloyal from the loyal… when under conditions of modern warfare our shores are threatened by hostile forces, the power to protect must be commensurate with the threatened danger.”
A strong dissent was also penned:
“That this forced exclusion was the result in good measure of this erroneous assumption of racial guilt rather than bona fide military necessity is evidenced by the Commanding General’s Final Report on the evacuation.. In it, he refers to all individuals of Japanese descents as “subversive,” as belonging to “an enemy race,” and as constituting, “over 112,000 potential enemies… at large today.” … No reliable evidence is cited to show that such individuals were generally disloyal.. to infer that examples of individual disloyalty prove group disloyalty and justify discriminatory action against the entire group is to deny that under our system of law individual guilt is the sole basis for deprivation of rights… [this is to] open the door to discriminatory actions against other minority groups in the passions of tomorrow.
Amazing, isn’t it? This was 1944. But if we were to substitute a few words, how easily does this translate into today’s “passions….” ? I think as a nation we suffer from historical amnesia. Maybe it’s because the idea of America is progress… out with the old and in with the new. We are so constantly moving away from where we have come, that the actions of the past seem almost irrelevant. Having been in Europe now for half a year, it is clear that the burden of the past, though spoken or implied, weighs heavily on all that is done. Bush often states that our “war on terror” began on 9/11. The absurdity of this statement is tremendous. 9/11 was not the beginning, it was, instead, a culmination. The world did not suddenly change after 9/11, rather American’s woke up to the fact that there is a larger reality beyond the borders of our cities and towns.
I lived for half a year in the country of Uzbekistan. Baring any radical changes, Uzbekistan is headed toward a bloody future. I’ve seen how repression twists people – kills them in a way. And I’m starting to understand why people who come from such situations may be willing to strap some explosives to their chest and give it the good college try. Our support of tyrants, given in the name of fighting terror, but in reality as a desperate measure to ensure that our liquid lifeline keeps flowing, makes us not only weak but also hypocritical. And with Bush in power, the level of these offences has reached a new high (or shall I say low,) and the rest of the world is not so stupid to get upset over the “war on Christmas.”
As Bush himself is fond of saying, these are difficult times. Let us respond to the challenge in the best way we can, first, by cleaning house. Only when those types of individuals who are currently in power are gone can we possibly hope to undo the damage already done, and then, perhaps, try to shape a world that is truly more free and just.