What Next for Uzbekistan?

In this OSI-sponsored forum, Michael Hall of the International Crisis Group presented a briefing on the ongoing challenges facing Uzbekistan.

Uzbekistan has rapidly developed into what some analysts describe as Russia's "largest strategic bridgehead" in Central Asia. A mutual security pact concluded in November 2005 opens the way for the establishment of a Russian military base on Uzbek territory. This followed shortly after the U.S. military was forced to leave after relations soured due to global outcry over the events in Andijan, where hundreds of protesters were killed. This can be seen as part of a overall turning away from the West, as NGOs are forced to stop working in the country and Russia continues to exert its influence both politically and economically. Will Uzbekistan become more isolated as this trend indicates? Or are there possibilities for progress and reform within the country?

Michael Hall runs the International Crisis Group's Bishkek office in Kyrgyzstan. He is a PhD candidate in Inner Asian Studies at Harvard University and holds an MA in Regional Studies: Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia from Harvard. He has also studied in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and previously worked for the Aga Khan Humanities Project in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

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The Open Forum speaker series aims to enhance policy debate on key issues facing Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and the Middle East, and to raise public awareness of important developments in these regions. Monthly Open Forum events are held in New York and Washington, DC, and are attended by leading policymakers, scholars, NGO staff, and journalists. All events are free of charge.