Uzbekistan is a country that is unlike many around the world.
It is one of only two double land locked countries, and is also formally
a part of the Soviet Union. Uzbekistan also has the frustration of
being the neighbor to Middle Eastern countries such as Afghanistan.
Uzbekistan is considered to be a probable power in the Central Asia
area, and key alliances have allowed it to possibly continue to this
goal. Currently they are battling over conflict with government opposition
and the treatment of independent Muslims and other religions across
their country. The most important causes of this conflict can be seen
its past events, the role of the Uzbekistani government and the geography
of the region. For this conflict, the consequences are largely for
the people of Uzbekistan.
Back when Uzbekistan
was still under Soviet rule the people of Uzbekistan were still
mostly the same people that are there today. Currently the only
real differences are the members of government, and the fact that
this particular region is now a country of its own. In this current
situation involving the Uzbekistan government there are problems
considered by many with the Uzbekistani government and more specifically,
president Islam Karimov’s rule of the country after it was
declared independent from the Soviet Union in 1991. Before Karimov’s
rule the idea of freedom of religion was more widely accepted under
rule of Soviet Presient Mikhail Gorbachev, and the religion of Islam
flourished in the area. Post-1991 though, Karimov’s rule has
become one where little to no opposition is allowed, and religion
is controlled tightly by the state. While Islam is an allowed religion
in Uzbekistan, with Karimov himself even saying he is Muslim, independent
forms of Islam practiced away from the government are forbidden.
As Islam has many different ways that it can be practiced, this
caused many throughout the region distress and anger. The Islamic
Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) has waged a campaign of terrorism and
violence against Karimov’s regime for his policies related
to the religion of Islam through links to al-Qaeda.
In dealing with these
opposing forces Karimov has made some dire consequences in return
for not following his law. There have been reports of police discouraging
women seeking divorce from abusive husbands, as well torturing “criminals”
by beatings, electric shock, temporary suffocation, wrist and ankle
hanging, fingernail removal, punctures with sharp objects. There
is much concern in the government over opposing forces taking over.
This sense of worry has caused the Uzbekistan government to have
some of the highest amounts of security of any country in the region.
A fair amount of all money brought in to the government goes towards
this security towards protecting the government from opposition.
According to Karimov he has imprisoned more than 7,000 people that
were or potentially were IMU supporters. Victims of this government
crackdown have included members of secular opposition, human rights
activists, and thousands of devout Muslims and members of Islamist
political groups. Karimov has essentially caused those who oppose
him to use force as a last chance for change. The Uzbekistan government
has s tight control over the media in their country, with only two
newspapers that are not government owned, and even those require
article approval from the Committee for the Control of State Secrets.
And even though most of Uzbekistan lacks Internet access, the Uzbek
government still placed restrictions on its use and aimed to get
all Internet service running through government servers in 2000
to allow for the government to monitor citizens and filter out “unacceptable
content.” Under such high security the Uzbekistan government
obviously does not want to be taken out of command, and the result
of this has come to people dead and many human rights violations
against his people.
The conflict over how the government is run in Uzbekistan
can also be partly attributed to conflicts over resources, and the
overall geography of the country. Uzbekistan has fair amounts of
oil and gas in their region, but for the most part is lacks water.
Nations such as the gas and oil poor, but water rich Kyrgyzstan
mostly control this water, forcing Uzbekistan to trade items such
as cotton and gas for water. In 1997 Uzbekistan tried to deal with
the situation unilaterally by cutting off 70 percent of the flow
downstream, which prompted a riot by Krygz farmers and caused Uzbekistan
to deploy 130,000 troops to guard the reservoirs on the boarder.
While not directly relating to the Uzbekistan conflict, the conduct
the Uzbekistan has for other countries certainly do affect it. The
resources of the region have made situations tense with other countries,
and Uzbekistan has many opposition groups in neighboring countries
such as Afghanistan. With these groups based there it makes dealing
with resource issues that much more difficult. The location of Uzbekistan
near neighboring Afghanistan has also allowed for them to receive
more financial aid from the United States in return for housing
troops in their country. This money has been said to contribute
to increased security for the country, and thus contributes to the
problem Uzbekistan has with trying to protect itself from the threats
of terrorism against it. This increased security has also caused
problems for their neighbors. As stated before, when Uzbekistan
cut off Kyrgystan’s water it caused them to deploy around
130,000 troops. These troops are supported by the government, and
by showing these other countries that they deal with such issues
through force it only helps to create more opposition. In dealing
with resource issues Uzbekistan has the power to deal with it in
its own ways, but as it has always been thought to become the leader
of Central Asia, and creating opposition and solving matters through
force only separates them from the rest of the region. The consequence
of such a separation affects all citizens of Uzbekistan through
matters of trade and travel.
With the receiving of financial aid from countries such as
the United States, as well as other countries around the world Uzbekistan
is able to further fund its security efforts within itself. Uzbekistan
houses an almost paranoid idea of security, and takes no chances
to let anyone else take charge of the country. Recently Uzbekistan
allowed for U.S. troops to be stationed in their country in war
on terror in Afghanistan. This has allowed Uzbekistan to get triple
their normal aid from the U.S., totaling some $160 million per year.
This stationing of troops has also allowed local merchants, including
carpenters who wanted to build a bathhouse on the U.S. complex and
prostitutes hoping to relieve the troops of some of their money.
This money mostly goes to training and equipping Uzbek law enforcement
and border security forces trying to stop the flow illegal drugs,
nuclear material and other smuggled goods across Uzbekistan territory,
but Uzbekistan still has a mostly poor economic showing. In a poll
taken by a public center in Tashkent in 2002 it is said that 80%
of Uzbeks have trouble making ends meet. Uzbekistan is mostly responsible
for their people, and when such money is spent on security you have
to wonder if what it is protecting is worth it. While the people
of Uzbekistan suffer and grow angry with oppression of religion
and the overall leadership of the country, money is spent to help
protect the Uzbekistan government from any harm. The spending of
money in Uzbekistan can be seen as a factor in many problems against
the government, and defiantly an issue for many citizens. The consequence
of course for the citizens is the way they live their lives, and
lost time from their productivity.
The country of Uzbekistan has had its fair share of history
put behind them since their independence in 1991, and this history
has guided them to their current place in the world order. For most
Uzbekistani citizens this conflict has been something that has interrupted
their lives, disrupted their religious practices, and in some cases
even injured or killed them. This conflict in Uzbekistan was created
by a government that has made changes and acted in such ways that
it has begun to affect its citizens. Opposition has grown in Uzbekistan,
and those who are affected by its power, are affected deeply. Eventually
the opposition may take claim of Uzbekistan just as Islam Karimov
did during his time, but if Uzbekistan has any hope of keeping its
citizens content; changes are needed to prevent further consequence.