Uzbekistan Assessed

A team from the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development recently visited Uzbekistan to assess that nation's progress in reaching various standards of governance, economic policies, and human rights. According to RFE-RL, the nation fell short, especially in the human rights and governance areas. This raises at least the possibility that the EBRD will suspend loans to Uzbekistan, though since the pressure on the group apparently stemmed from criticism of its holding a conference in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent, I'm not convinced it isn't window-dressing. The fact Uzbekistan was cited for progress in economic privatization and currency conversion provides cover for continuing the loans.

U.S. officials, however, are pleased, saying that they have learned of a secret anti-torture plan and grassroots support for greater human rights in the country. They also mentioned lots of discussion of human rights issues, and touted the success of a program to reduce corruption on college campuses. The key to the aid, though, seems to be economic privatization. They also discuss attempts to beef up border security, presumably to cut down on terrorists moving around Central Asia. Some of this is probably worthy, but our realpolitik connections with dictators have a way of blowing up in our faces, and if grassroots support for liberty now counts as political progress, we should have cited Saddam Hussein's Iraq for it.

Donald Rumsfeld is in Tashkent today meeting with Uzbek officials. Al-Jazeera also reports on this issue.