[Ben] Uz - Updates on Andijon

|

UPDATE: Radio Silence is back on again, with a very sobering post on self-censorship.

The massacre of Andijon happened a week ago, time for a round-up of some interesting stories online.

Tensions remain high in Karasuv, but there are signs that the situation might normalise: "The situation eased around midday as Uzbek forces allowed traders to cross the bridge, one of two destroyed by Uzbekistan in recent years in a clampdown on trade with Kyrgyzstan."

The blog "Radio Silence" is experiencing problems accessing the blog-tool Typepad - does that mean the government is fearing the influence of the blogosphere?

Meanwhile, Uzbekistan rejects a UN inquiry:

"Kofi Annan, the UN secretary general, said: "[Karimov] said he had the situation under control and was taking every measure to bring those responsible to account and didn't need an international team to establish the facts."

Engagement, disengagement, sanctions? What is appropriate? The opinions on that differ strikingly, some call for open talk and harsh criticism (others even sanctions), Nathan over at the Registan disagrees. Disengagement might be out of the question. But how can engagement be more effective? Check Olesya's article concerning this central issue.

Very much overlooked in the ongoing debate (and that's where my studies come in) is an economic angle. Pro-democracy? Islamist? Well, says SOAS prof Deniz Kandiyoti, actually the massacre in eastern Uzbekistan is rooted in the impact of the country’s post-Soviet economic collapse on its citizens. His article over at openDemocracy is definitely worth checking out.

The recent spotlight on Uzbekistan and the increased media coverage reveals one fact: There are quite many people out there who don't have clue about the region. That's not bad, as long as they don't explain the games behind the curtain to us. Johann Hari, columnist for the UK Independent, gets almost everything wrong in his simplicist analysis. Nathan and Tim respond.