Uzbekistan

List of Uzbekistan articles

An encounter with the local authorities in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
An encounter with the local authorities in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Russia’s Great Reverse Migration

Central Asians used to flee the Soviet empire’s periphery for Moscow. Russia’s mobilization has sent escaping Muscovites in the other direction.

China's President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and other participants attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) leaders' summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on Sept. 16.
China's President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and other participants attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) leaders' summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on Sept. 16.

Why Xi Jinping Chose Central Asia for His First Post-COVID-19 Trip

The region has long served as a testing ground for Beijing’s economic and foreign-policy ambitions and is becoming increasingly close to China.

Taliban fighters
Taliban fighters

The Taliban’s Neighbors Fear Afghanistan’s ‘Boiling Pot’ of Terrorism

A three-day conference in Uzbekistan has united the region, worried about the guerrillas in their midst.

People walk near a large white mosque with green domes in the evening.
People walk near a large white mosque with green domes in the evening.

Uzbekistan’s Unrest, Explained

Violent protests over proposed changes to its status have swept the autonomous region of Karakalpakstan.

Demonstrators hold placards during a rally in support of Ukraine in Almaty, Kazakhstan on March 6.
Demonstrators hold placards during a rally in support of Ukraine in Almaty, Kazakhstan on March 6.

Former Soviet States Are Distancing Themselves From Their Old Imperial Master

The war in Ukraine is prompting countries from Kazakhstan to Moldova to reexamine their colonial past and seek diplomatic allies beyond the Kremlin.

Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon
Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon

Central Asia Braces for Fallout of U.S. Pullout From Afghanistan

Since the war began, America has had one lens for Central Asia. What happens now?

People walk in front of a statue.
People walk in front of a statue.

Uzbekistan’s Online Religious Revival

After years of state oppression, many Uzbeks are finding stricter interpretations of Islam on the internet. Some experts say it could have radical consequences.

Members of the Islamic State stand alongside their weapons, following their surrender to Afghanistan's government in Jalalabad on Nov. 17, 2019.
Members of the Islamic State stand alongside their weapons, following their surrender to Afghanistan's government in Jalalabad on Nov. 17, 2019.

Indians and Central Asians Are the New Face of the Islamic State

Terrorists from India, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan were never at the forefront of global jihad before—now they are.

Russian President Vladimir Putin talks to his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev in Baku, Azerbaijan in December 2003.
Russian President Vladimir Putin talks to his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev in Baku, Azerbaijan in December 2003.

Putin Is Ruling Russia Like a Central Asian Dictator

The Kremlin didn’t invent term limit resets and constitutional referendums. The autocratic leaders of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan blazed the trail.

A cotton grower looks on as she works in a cotton plantation.
A cotton grower looks on as she works in a cotton plantation.

It’s Not Time to End the Uzbek Cotton Boycott Yet

Companies should not buy Uzbekistan’s cotton until labor protections and responsible sourcing are guaranteed.

Cotton growers walk in a cotton plantation.
Cotton growers walk in a cotton plantation.
Law enforcement officers wearing face masks in Kazakhstan
Law enforcement officers wearing face masks in Kazakhstan

Central Asian States Can’t Hide the Coronavirus Any Longer

Authoritarian states have been downplaying numbers. That won’t last.

A musician wearing a Soviet militia uniform stands before the entrance of the Ilkhom Theatre in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on March 13.
A musician wearing a Soviet militia uniform stands before the entrance of the Ilkhom Theatre in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on March 13.

Tashkent Underground

The Ilkhom Theatre Company has kept freedom alive in Uzbekistan since before the fall of the Soviet Union.

Football fans from Uzbekistan celebrate near Red Square on June 15, 2018 in Moscow, Russia.  (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
Football fans from Uzbekistan celebrate near Red Square on June 15, 2018 in Moscow, Russia. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Uzbekistan’s New Era Might Just Be Real

Long-needed reforms are changing what was once a grim autocracy. Washington can help.

Sayfullo Saipov, the suspected driver who killed eight people in New York on Oct. 31. (St. Charles County Dept. of Corr/AFP/Getty Images)
Sayfullo Saipov, the suspected driver who killed eight people in New York on Oct. 31. (St. Charles County Dept. of Corr/AFP/Getty Images)

For Uzbeks, Radicalization Often Begins Abroad

The Islamic State has ramped up its Russian-language recruitment.

GettyImages-76654648
GettyImages-76654648

Uzbekistan Forced Labor Linked to World Bank Projects, Advocates Say

A new report from Human Rights Watch and Uzbek activists alleges the continued use of forced and child labor in harvesting the Central Asian country’s cotton crop.

gettyimages-627589100
gettyimages-627589100

In First Vote Since Autocrat’s Death, Uzbekistan’s New President Inherits Looming Economic Crisis

For the first time in 25 years, Uzbekistan has a new president -- and he's left fixing a host of economic and political problems.

MARGATE, FL - NOVEMBER 11:  Brian McGuinn holds hands with his wife Anne McGuinn, wearing her 1.5-carat diamond engagement ring on November 11, 2011 in Margate, Florida. Brian says that after realizing he had inadvertantly thrown the ring into the trash October 30, he went to the local waste disposal site the next day where he faced a mountain of rotting garbage. He says he managed to somehow find his trash bag in the mound where he said "it was absolutely disgusting. It stunk beyond belief."  (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
MARGATE, FL - NOVEMBER 11: Brian McGuinn holds hands with his wife Anne McGuinn, wearing her 1.5-carat diamond engagement ring on November 11, 2011 in Margate, Florida. Brian says that after realizing he had inadvertantly thrown the ring into the trash October 30, he went to the local waste disposal site the next day where he faced a mountain of rotting garbage. He says he managed to somehow find his trash bag in the mound where he said "it was absolutely disgusting. It stunk beyond belief." (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

This Uzbek Mayor Is Publishing Names of Divorced Couples to Embarrass Them

This Uzbek mayor is threatening to publish names of couples who seek divorce.

GettyImages-79576406
GettyImages-79576406

Where the War on Terror Lives Forever

Uzbekistan’s dictator is dead, but his brutal efforts to crush Islamist extremism leave a long and ugly legacy. And Washington will be left cleaning up the mess.

Uzbek President Islam Karimov gestures after greeting US Secretary of State John Kerry at Samarkand Airport on November 1, 2015 in Samarkand. Kerry is in the region as he visits 5 Central Asian nations. AFP PHOTO/POOL/BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI        (Photo credit should read )
Uzbek President Islam Karimov gestures after greeting US Secretary of State John Kerry at Samarkand Airport on November 1, 2015 in Samarkand. Kerry is in the region as he visits 5 Central Asian nations. AFP PHOTO/POOL/BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI (Photo credit should read )

Islam Karimov and the Dictator’s Playbook

The tyrant of Uzbekistan assassinated his enemies, jailed anyone who spoke against him, and crushed human rights. Why did America so willingly look the other way?

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