Uzbekistan's President Declares A State of Emergency In Protest-Hit Region

 

VOA: Uzbekistan Declared State of Emergency in Protest-Hit Region 

Tashkent, Uzbekistan — Uzbekistan announced a monthlong state of emergency Saturday in an autonomous republic where rare protests prompted President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to back down on constitutional changes. 

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's press secretary Sherzod Asadov wrote on Telegram that the state of emergency in the Republic of Karakalpakstan would run from just after midnight on Sunday to August 2. The measure was being taken to "ensure the safety of citizens, protect their rights and freedoms (and) restore law and order" in the territory, the statement added.  

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WNU Editor: The protests broke out over this .... Uzbek Constitutional Amendments To Change Status Of Karakalpakstan (RFE). Amendments that are now being suspended .... Uzbek government backs down after plan for constitution sparks protests (Financial Times). 

Uzbekistan's President Declares A State of Emergency In Protest-Hit Region  

Uzbekistan reports casualties in unrest, opposition says at least 5 killed -- Reuters  

Uzbekistan: 'Fatalities' reported after protests in Karakalpakstan province -- DW  

Thousands wounded in unrest in Uzbekistan's Nukus - Uzbek news website -- Reuters  

Casualties Feared in Uzbekistan as Mass Protests Turn Violent -- Newsweek  

Curfew imposed after deadly unrest in Uzbekistan -- RT

Uzbekistan's President Wins A Second Term In A Landslide Election Victory

 

Reuters: Uzbek President Secures Second Term in Landslide Victory 

TASHKENT (Reuters) -Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has been re-elected for a second five-year term, winning 80.1% of the vote in Sunday's poll which Western observers said was not truly competitive despite improvements brought by recent reforms. 

Mirziyoyev's widely expected victory will allow him to deepen his reform campaign and likely lead to Uzbekistan opening up further to foreign trade and investment - while retaining a highly centralised political system.  

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Update #1: Uzbek president secures second term in landslide election victory (Al Jazeera)  

Update #2: Uzbekistan's incumbent leader wins 2nd term in office (The Independent)  

WNU Editor: There is no real opposition in Uzbekistan. A fact that even Russian President Putin knows .... Putin Hails Uzbek Leader's Election Win Before Results Come Out (Bloomberg).

Incident In Uzbekistan Is Raising Suspicions That Russia Was Involved In Cuba Sonic Attacks Against U.S. Diplomats

CBS: Uzbekistan incident raises suspicions of Russian involvement in Cuba attacks

A newly revealed incident reported by a USAID officer who is based at the American embassy in Uzbekistan is raising suspicions Russia may have been involved and could have had a hand in bizarre attacks targeting U.S. diplomats in Cuba, according to American sources.

In September, the officer and his wife reported, according to one source familiar with the incident, what may have been at least one acoustic attack similar to those experienced by the diplomats in Havana.

The first Cuba attacks began in November 2016, and the last report of an attack was in August 2017. Victims of the attacks in Cuba describe hearing a loud, high-pitched sound often described like a hiss of cicadas or crickets in unusual places—often in their homes.

The State Department declined to describe in detail the incident in Tashkent.

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Update: American embassy workers in Uzbekistan 'come under sonic attack similar to diplomats in Cuba' say sources - but the US State Department insists there was 'NO incident' in the central Asian country (Daily Mai)

WNU Editor: The U.S. State Department is denying reports that such an attack (i.e. acoustic) has occurred .... State Department denies American in Uzbekistan experienced acoustic attack (The Hill).

Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov Has Died

Washington Post: Islam Karimov, Uzbekistan strongman who exploited anti-terror fight, dies at 78

Islam Karimov, the Communist Party apparatchik who transformed post-independence Uzbekistan into a brutal personal fiefdom while reaping political and economic benefits from the U.S. war in Afghanistan, has died in Tashkent. He was 78.

His death was announced on Friday by state television after days of official silence about his health. His daughter, Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva, wrote on verified social media accounts that he had suffered a “cerebral hemorrhage” on Aug. 27.

His death threatens instability but offers slight chance of change in Uzbekistan, a landlocked, mostly Muslim country in Central Asia that Mr. Karimov ruled even before independence from the collapsing Soviet Union in 1991. At least publicly, he had not named a successor.

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More News On The Death of Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov

Diplomats say the president of Uzbekistan has died after suffering a stroke -- Business insider/Reuters
Veteran Uzbek leader Karimov battled Islamists, suppressed dissent -- Reuters
Islam Karimov: Uzbekistan strongman's death confirmed -- BBC
Uzbekistan's President Islam Karimov dies -- Al Jazeera
A look at Islam Karimov, Uzbek president since independence -- AP
Why Uzbekistan matters -- BBC
Uzbekistan’s First, Only, and Awful President Just Died -- Joshua Keating, Slate
Analysis: The 'Day After' Has Arrived For Uzbekistan -- RFE
Factbox: Likely key players in a post-Karimov Uzbekistan -- Reuters
Obituary: Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov -- BBC

Border Dispute Between Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan Has Been Resolved (For Now)

(Radio Free Europe)

Radio Free Europe: Uzbekistan Pulls Back Troops From Kyrgyz-Uzbek Border

Uzbekistan has pulled backed troops and military vehicles from a disputed segment of the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border, ending a weeklong standoff over the contested area.

The Kyrgyz state border guard service said the troop withdrawal took place early on March 26, a day after a meeting between Kyrgyz and Uzbek officials over the crisis.

The meeting had been initiated by the Uzbek side, the border guard service said.

On March 18, Uzbek authorities deployed troops, two armored personnel vehicles, and two military trucks near the border in Kyrgyzstan’s southwestern in Aksy district in Jalal-Abad province.

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Update #1: Kyrgyzstan: Uzbeks pull back from tense border area -- AP
Update #2: Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan end border standoff -- Reuters
Update #3: Kyrgyzstan: Uzbeks Pull Back Troops, But Questions Remain -- Eurasianet.org

WNU Editor: This dispute has been ongoing since the 1930s .... and probably will continue in the years to come.

The Spoils Of War

NATO will need rail lines and good roads out of Afghanistan. The New York Times

As NATO Prepares for Afghan Withdrawal, Uzbekistan Seeks War’s Leftovers -- New York Times

MOSCOW — With planning for the Western military withdrawal from Afghanistan in full swing, officials in Uzbekistan want to make a deal: we will provide the roads out if you leave some of those extra vehicles and supplies behind for us.

Uzbek officials have quietly contacted American, German and British officials with the offer, in their latest bid to supplement their military despite international embargoes, according to officials in NATO countries, human rights advocates and German news reports. On the wish list are armored vehicles, mine detectors, helicopters, navigation equipment and night-vision goggles — used and dusty would be fine.

It is a proposal that has won the attention of Western capitals and that is said to have annoyed the Kremlin enough that it is pushing through an arms deal with Uzbekistan’s neighbor, Kyrgyzstan.

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My Comment: Uzbekistan has one of the worst human rights records in Central Asia .... but I do predict that an agreement will still be reached where some military equipment will be left behind in order to use Uzbekistan's road network.

Uzbekistan To Ban Foreign Military Bases

Uzbekistan, Key To Afghan War Draw-Down, To Ban Foreign Military Bases -- Christian Science Monitor

Uzbekistan, which is seeking closer ties to the US, may have made the move in a bid to ease concerns of China and Russia, which are both dominant actors in Central Asia.

Today, Uzbekistan’s upper house of parliament approved a new bill banning any foreign military bases on its territory in what appears to be an effort to appease regional power Moscow.

The bill still has to be signed by Uzbekistan’s president. But it appears to quash growing rumors that Tashkent may allow the US to open a military base in Uzbekistan to replace the major air base in neighboring Kyrgyzstan, which is due to close in 2014. It also raises questions about Uzbekistan’s support of the NATO-led operation in Afghanistan.

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My Comment: Another monkey-wrench thrown into U.S./NATO post-2014 Afghan plans.

Uzbekistan Withdraws From Russia-Lead Military Alliance CSTO

Uzbekistan Withdraws From Russia-Lead Military Alliance -- The Telegraph

Uzbekistan has withdrawn from a Russia-lead military alliance of former Soviet states, triggering a wave of speculation that it wants closer ties with the US.

Strategically located on the southern fringe of Central Asia, Uzbekistan is an important but controversial partner for the West, which needs its support to withdraw military kit from neighbouring Afghanistan from 2014.

The Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) didn’t give any official reasons for Uzbekistan’s withdrawal from the alliance when it announced the news in Moscow last Thursday but analysts and commentators were quick to describe it as a move towards the US.

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Update: Tashkent deserts CSTO - again -- Asia Times

My Comment: Uzbekistan has always had an independent streak .... playing both sides when it is convenient for them.

Tensions Rise Between Tajikistan And Uzbekistan

Tajikistan Accuses Uzbekistan Of Economic Blockade -- BBC

Tajikistan has accused its central Asian neighbour, Uzbekistan, of imposing a blockade.

It says the blockade could destabilise the country and lead to a humanitarian catastrophe.

A report published on the website of the Tajik embassy in Moscow accused Uzbekistan of blocking vital rail freight and cutting gas supplies.

Relations between the countries have deteriorated over a hydro-electric dam that Tajikistan is building.

Uzbekistan fears the dam will restrict water supplies to its main cash crop, cotton.

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Update #1: Tajikistan Accuses Uzbekistan of Energy, Transport Blockade -- RIA Novosti
Update #2: Halt to Uzbek gas supply hits Tajikistan -- Reuters

My Comment: There is no room for compromise in this dispute. Tajikistan wants their dam, Uzbekistan does not. Hence .... the energy blockade by Uzbekistan.

How The West Cultivates Tyrants In Central Asia

Kisses for Karimov -- Foreign Policy

Uzbekistan's dictator is another Qaddafi-in-waiting. Realism is one thing, but the United States can't be afraid to call the devil by his name.

"If you are strong, everybody is nice to you. If not, bye-bye." So said Saif al-Islam, son of deposed Libyan autocrat Muammar al-Qaddafi, a few months ago when asked why the West had turned against his father.

And who can blame him? For years, the United States and Europe downplayed Qaddafi's brutality to secure his favor and his oil. For $2.7 billion, they let him buy their forgiveness for the Lockerbie attack. For his help against al Qaeda, they shipped Libyan militants whom they captured around the world to his dungeons. "Dear Moussa," began the warm letters U.S. and British intelligence officials sent to Qaddafi's top security official, Moussa Koussa, arranging these renditions.

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My Comment: A sobering analysis on realpolitik in Central Asia.

After It's Fallout With Pakistan, The U.S. Is Looking For New Allies

US Finds New Friend In Uzbekistan After Pakistan Fallout -- The Telegraph

President Obama has asked Uzbekistan to expand its role in resupplying troops in Afghanistan as Washington tries to reduce its dependence on Pakistan.

The past fortnight has seen relations between Islamabad and Washington sink to new lows over allegations that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency was working with the Haqqani network to direct attacks on American targets in Afghanistan.

The crisis, the latest in a turbulent year, has seen both countries scrambling to build up alternative regional alliances.

However, more than a third of supplies to Nato forces in Afghanistan pass through Pakistan, giving Islamabad a strong bargaining position.

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My Comment: Going to the Devil that you do not know rather than the Devil that you know .... sighhhh .... there are no good options for the U.S. in this region.

Uzbekistan's President Accuses The West Of Funding Arab Revolts

Uzbek President Accuses The West Of Funding Arab Revolts -- The Telegraph

Uzbekistan's autocratic President has accused the West of funding this year's Arab uprisings to gain access to oil, gas and mineral reserves.

"The Arab countries where the unrest happened have huge reserves of natural resources, including oil and gas," Islam Karimov said in a broadcast on the anniversary of the end of the Second World War. "If there had been no foreign influence or large foreign financing, there would have been no riots on that scale."

Mr Karimov, 73, has kept an iron grip on the impoverished Central Asian nation since before the fall of the Soviet Union. In 2005, he faced international condemnation for the brutal suppression of a revolt in the city of Andijan, which left hundreds dead.

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My Comment: Like all autocrats .... they prefer to blame outsiders rather than themselves for the dissent that they may have to face from their countrymen. Uzbekistan's autocratic President Karimov fits into this mold perfectly.