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September 01, 2005
Focus on Uzbekistan
September 1 is independence day in Uzbekistan.
Organized by Richard Hindes of ‘Disillusioned kid’, a group of 22 of us have agreed to write about the country and its problems - in response to a call by Craig Murray, the former British ambassador to Uzbekistan, for sanctions to be imposed on Uzbek cotton in protest against human rights violations.
I am taking part in this because I am against the use of intelligence derived from torture by the British government and I was horrified by the massacre in Andijan. I am concerned about environmental problems caused by the over-production of cotton (including the disasterous draining of the Aral Sea), and lastly because I’ve been in Uzbekistan myself.
Western countries have always been selective in their interest in bad and unstable regimes. The British and French have focussed on their ex-colonies in Africa (South Africa, Zimbabwe etc.), while the Americans have been more sensitive to events in east Asia (Burma, China, Tibet etc.). Unfortunately no-one has shown much interest in central Asia.
Registan.net (named after the great market square in Samarkand that I once visited) is a great source of information about central Asia and the Caucasus, and has a powerful article by David Walther in support of sanctions. I also recommend Otto Pohl’s History of Cotton in Uzbekistan.
jpohl.blogspot.com/2005/09/history-of-cotton-in-uzbekistan.html
english.pravda.ru/world/20/92/373/14783_Uzbekistan.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aral_Sea
www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn3947
www.economist.com/opinion/displayStory.cfm?story_id=4316769
Posted by Simon Holledge at September 1, 2005 09:10 PM
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Comments
Thanks for the plug. I think the whole blog for Uzbekistan thing went over quite well.
Posted by: Otto Pohl at September 2, 2005 02:14 PM
It's been a learning experience for everybody. It's gone beyond simply making a protest about the Andijan massacre. I hope we can take it forward.
Posted by: Simon Holledge at September 2, 2005 05:41 PM
Simon
Did you realise that Boris Johnson MP and family spent the last couple of weeks in Uzbekistan?
It will be interesting to hear their views and experiences.
Posted by: Melissa@Boris Johnson Office at September 8, 2005 11:13 PM
Melissa,
I will be interested to read Boris's impressions of the country. Even if he and his family were restricted to the tourist sites - as I was - I am sure he will have something worthwhile to say.
Incidentally I recommend Colin Thubron's essay on Samarkand for a good short historical/cultural introduction to this part of central Asia.
Posted by: Simon Holledge at September 9, 2005 07:12 PM