Ariel Cohen has a good article at EurasiaNet on how the US is reacting to the break with Uzbekistan.
While still interested in engaging the Karimov administration on a variety of issues, some Washington analysts expect the State Department to reach out to a wide variety of political actors in Uzbekistan — including those perceived to be pragmatists within the Karimov Administration, as well as to moderate Muslim elements. The United States, analysts say, would consider working with Uzbeks who would potentially pursue a reform course and would be willing to cooperate with the United States on matters of common interest, including the fights against terrorism and Islamic radicalism.
Well, if Karimov really thought the US was out to get him before, he seems to have inspired a genuine interest in undermining his rule.
Cohen also discusses fears that the break signals that the SCO is really amounting to something (though I still don’t think it’s a deeply-felt partnership–more of an axis of authoritarianism, really) and reaching out to Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan for greater military partnership. (Roger McDermott discusses the last of the three here.)
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Nathan Hamm – author of 2040 posts on Registan.net.
Nathan founded Registan.net in 2003. He was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uzbekistan 2000-2001 and received his MA in Central Asian Studies from the University of Washington in 2007. Since 2007, he has worked full-time as an analyst, consulting with clients on Central Asian affairs, specializing in how socio-cultural factors shape risks and opportunities. Follow him on Twitter or drop him a line.