Comments on: Did You Know Muslims Are Still Scary?

By: Turgai

Turgai — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 13:07:36 +0000

If that means that the Karimovs end as brutally as they ruled, it’s many peoples’ wish.

By: Turgai

Turgai — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 10:18:55 +0000

Toryalai, the Uzbek regime is not keen about embracing anyone, safe for ever-switching and ever-opportunistic alliances whereby it’s parasitic ‘elite’ is not thàt ‘independent’ and ‘patriotic’ when it comes to grab the $ and €… This strategy indeed long ensured the regime’s survival but will also cause its downfall in the end.

By: Turgai

Turgai — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 10:07:10 +0000

“Let’s just say Ahmed Rashid isn’t exactly an authoritative voice on Uzbeks or the IMU and leave it at that.”

Rashid is a good journalist as far as Pakistan and partly Afghanistan are concerned. Once he crosses the Panj-Amudarya, you clearly feel he’s out of his element. For one, I don’t even think he speaks Russian.

By: Turgai

Turgai — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 09:59:28 +0000

“and the only way you can know this is if you lived there for many years and had many personal relationships with them.”

Well Toryalai, I think that applies to yours truly and several others here. As for you, by contrast, I doubt if you ever set foot in Uzb and other parts of Southern Eurasia.

By: Turgai

Turgai — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 09:57:17 +0000

Just a counter-though: maybe the IMU did not took over because its capacity and social base have been systematically exaggerated by the regime to justify itself?

By: Turgai

Turgai — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 09:55:06 +0000

No giraffe in sight but what GooGoosha did got from Spain instead is that other king of muzak: Julio Iglesias. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNklenHemR0

By: Turgai

Turgai — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 09:37:13 +0000

Thanks. Interesting indeed, especially if one remembers that the Soviets also bit the dust in Af’stan.

By: Turgai

Turgai — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 09:36:04 +0000

lol Yes, just like Gulnara’s post with the UN in Geneva was a repetition of the Holy Alliance between Timur and the crack crossbow squads of Wilhelm Tell against the Imminent Evil Wahhabi-Salafi Takeover of the Alps maybe?

Unless it had more something to do with the vicinity of the family’s bank accounts or with the fact that she moved from her previous post in the Moscow embassy because the relations between Greater Muscovy and Tashkent are no longer what they used to be? Just suggesting.

Fancy fantasies about historical alliances aside: Spain presides the EU for the first half of 2010 so for Gulnara it is a good position to rally European support for an eventual takeover in Uzbekistan or , alternatively, to carve out presidency a European safe haven in case she has to flee?

“they formed an alliance against the Ottoman Sultan–who was subsequently captured and killed.”

Which one lived longer in the end: the Ottoman or the Timurid empire?

By: Toryalay Shirzay

Toryalay Shirzay — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 04:49:00 +0000

Thank you Laurence for the link regarding The Spanish embassy journey to the Timor Lang’s capital Samarqand.Even today the Uzbek government is not too keen about embracing Turkey.It seems the Uzbeks know something about geopolitics many miss.And the fact that the Uzbek establishment is not fooled by Arabs and other Muslims and Islamic nonsense is very good reason to give them credit.

By: Joshua Foust

Joshua Foust — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:27:32 +0000

Alright Lawrence, let’s ease off the serial comments. Take your time and assemble everything into one post.