Authored by: Anonymous on Tuesday, November 23 2004 @ 10:33 PM CST

The most informative thing about the article for anarchists is how it clearly shows that state terrorism needs non-state terrorism in order to justify itself. That\'s why no state would ever want to totally eliminate terrorism, just curtail it enough to justify more authoritarian statism.

...sorry if that was an obvious point to make.

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Authored by: Anonymous on Tuesday, November 23 2004 @ 02:13 AM CST

Oh, The article is scary as a nightmare. I\'ve been in Uzbekistan 2 years ago but mentioned above opened eyes widely. Sure, as tourist u can see everything in pretty artificially manners and where is really true and what\'s behind \"golden curtains\" u should only guess. I spoke with the Uzbeks, and heard nothing more than anger. In nature very kind, quit, laborious and freindly people. Initial lack courage they can\'t dare to impeach their puppet Government. Believe me very reach country, richest than any European. They have deposits of everything including gold, oil and even uranium. But unfortunately the Uzbeks have no luck with President, that\'s why they do live in poverty.

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Authored by: Anonymous on Tuesday, November 23 2004 @ 04:09 PM CST

why were you Uzbekistan ? It doesn\'t sound as if it\'s exactly like a tourist destination .

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Authored by: Anonymous on Tuesday, November 23 2004 @ 05:19 PM CST

I agree. I lived in Uzbekistan for a while and I have close ties to Uzbek citizens. There are two kinds of people in Uzbekistan: the poor toiling masses who are trying to make a living, and the rich elite who have gotten their money through corruption. The more powerful make it their priority to keep the masses in check. It is a heavily policed state... for instance, when traveling by bus it would often get stopped a dozen times or more at police checkpoints, and looking at their faces you can tell people are afraid of the police. They should be, they can act with impunity. For instance I know someone who was thrown in jail for several months on fabricated drug charges because the police wanted money; the police demanded $2000 for his release but the judge lowered the bribe to $1500.
America is misguided in thinking that the Uzbek government is helping us. Most Uzbeks are secular muslims and only want a better life. They drink vodka like crazy, they sing and dance at any occasion and they like it; they certainly don\'t want a hard-line Islamic government. But the more and more the Uzbek government violates the people\'s rights and steals their money the more likely disgruntled Uzbeks will support extremist groups that seek to overthrow the government.

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Authored by: Anonymous on Tuesday, November 23 2004 @ 05:50 PM CST

Actually, there are several beautiful tourist sights there. Legendary silk road cities such as Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva are there and ruins of other ancient cities. It was the seat of the ancient emperor/conquerer Tamerlane. Also there\'s great hiking and trekking in the Fan mountiains or a good starting point if you want to hike the beautiful Tian Shen mountains in Kyryzstan or Pamir mountains in Tajikistan.

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Authored by: Anonymous on Wednesday, November 24 2004 @ 03:27 AM CST

\"Most Uzbeks are secular muslims and only want a better life. They drink vodka like crazy, they sing and dance at any occasion and they like it; they certainly don\'t want a hard-line Islamic government.\"

Yes that\'s correct. But even if a part of Uzbek society WANTS a more religious life and if more Islam in society (= not the same as a hard-line Islamic state) gives the people a framework and esepcially DIGNITY, than what is wrong with that?

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Authored by: Anonymous on Wednesday, November 24 2004 @ 10:48 AM CST

I agree, nothing is wrong with that as long as the new state also respects the rights of the people who don\'t belive as strongly. However, Uzbekistan is telling America that Taliban-style extremists want to take over Uzbekistan and turn it into another Afghanistan, and America believes it.
This isn\'t scientific, but I bet if you ask mosts Uzbeks what they want most: more religion or a free, fair and prosperous society they\'d choose the second. It seems as though Uzbeks who do belong to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan or Hizb-ut-Tahrir may feel that the easiest way to a fair and just society is through an Islamic caliphate or something.

Give Uzbek society hope, opportunity and freedom (freedom to express your political AND religous beliefs) and support for these terrorist groups will evaporate. That\'s what I think.

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Authored by: Anonymous on Wednesday, November 24 2004 @ 10:52 AM CST

I agree, nothing is wrong with that as long as the new state also respects the rights of the people who don\'t belive as strongly. However, Uzbekistan is telling America that Taliban-style extremists want to take over Uzbekistan and turn it into another Afghanistan, and America believes it.
This isn\'t scientific, but I bet if you ask mosts Uzbeks what they want most: more religion or a free, fair and prosperous society they\'d choose the second. It seems as though Uzbeks who do belong to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan or Hizb-ut-Tahrir may feel that the easiest way to a fair and just society is through an Islamic caliphate or something.

Give Uzbek society hope, opportunity and freedom (freedom to express your political AND religous beliefs) and support for these terrorist groups will evaporate. That\'s what I think.

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Authored by: Anonymous on Wednesday, November 24 2004 @ 10:54 AM CST

I agree, nothing is wrong with that as long as the new state also respects the rights of the people who don\'t belive as strongly. However, Uzbekistan is telling America that Taliban-style extremists, who don\'t respect individual rights, want to take over Uzbekistan and turn it into another Afghanistan, and America believes it. That\'s why we have a base in Uzbekistan near Qarshi, and that\'s why we are tacitly supporting the corrupt Karimov regime.

This isn\'t scientific, but I bet if you ask mosts Uzbeks what they want most: more religion or a free, fair and prosperous society they\'d choose the second. It seems as though Uzbeks who do belong to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan or Hizb-ut-Tahrir may feel that the easiest way to a fair and just society is through an Islamic caliphate or something.

Give Uzbek society hope, opportunity and freedom (freedom to express your political AND religous beliefs) and support for these terrorist groups will evaporate. That\'s what I think.

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