By Dr. Reuel Hanks (8/30/2000 issue of the CACI Analyst)

BACKGROUND: Since independence in 1991, the regime of Islam Karimov has maintained a steadfast campaign against political opponents, particularly those seeking legitimacy or consensus via Islam. Even before complete Soviet collapse, the organizational meeting of the Islamic Revival Party in early 1990 was broken up by government forces, and throughout the last decade, the threat of an alleged "Wahhabist" movement in the Fergana Valley has provided the rationale for a consistent campaign of intimidation and arrest. Rather than secure religious freedom, a new statute on religion passed in 1998 gave the government sweeping powers to crush any "unsanctioned" religious activity.

By Jennifer Balfour (8/30/2000 issue of the CACI Analyst)

With the help of western companies and the locally created subsidiary, UzBAT, Uzbekistan became Central Asia’s regional leader in tobacco sales. Slick, efficient advertising paved the way for its new brands. Florescent stickers appeared on kiosk and shop fronts.

By Stephen Blank (5/22/2002 issue of the CACI Analyst)

BACKGROUND: The SCO came into being originally as a confidence-building mechanism to define the five members\' (Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, China) collective borders and ensure conditions for increased trade among them. However it soon evolved into something else. In a sense, China and Russia hijacked - or at least diverted - the SCO into becoming an allegedly model forum for their joint resistance to American policies concerning missile defense and support for Taiwan and for reform in Tibet and the American alliance system in Asia.