And the next revolution... ?

Radio Netherlands:

Is Uzbekistan about to be the next former Soviet republic to witness a revolution? The country's current rulers certainly seem to fear it could. A popular uprising in the nation's third city, Andijon, has already seen thousands take to the streets, with at least nine people, and possibly dozens more, having died in violent clashes. The authorities claim, however, the situation is 'under control', while opposition leaders are calling for the people of Uzbekistan to join the opposition to the government. Andijon had already witnessed several days of mass street protests, but there was no hint of the violent escalation which occurred late on Thursday night. The demonstrations had been passing off peacefully, with the organisers doing all they could to avoid confrontations with the police. The protests were held to voice support for 23 people who have been on trial since February, accused of membership of a radical Islamic organisation, which is said to be intent on toppling the government.

Uzbekistan has of course been a pretty good ally in the War on Terror, even though the government there is certainly on the nasty and repressive side. This could end up being a test of whether the President is serious about promoting democracy or whether he will abandon the reformers in Uzbekistan for pragmatic reasons. I believe that the best choice, the only choice that offers long term stability, is to support the reformers. This may be especially true in this case as from what I can tell, the Government of Uzbekistan is fabricating the 'radical Islamist organization' in order to defame the opposition and justify it's repression under the guise of contributing to the War on Terror. This tactic undermines the entire purpose of the War on Terror, and could very well threaten our success in this effort in places far beyond Uzbekistan.