Washington and the 'great game' in central Asia

Contemporary Review, May, 2002 by Alec Rasizade

Karimov has clearly attempted to get economic assistance, security guarantees, and overall American support for his ambitions to be the regional hegemon in Central Asia. Nowhere is this new American presence more visible than in Tashkent. Groups of uniformed though unarmed American soldiers can be seen walking around the airport, waiting for chartered buses to transport them to downtown hotels. The troops do not mingle with Uzbek citizens, but the appearance in streets of many athletic-looking Americans, clad in civilian attire, suggests the build-up is steadily continuing.

The United States is also engaged in a rapid military build-up in Kyrgyzstan. At the Manas airport near the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek, the US is building a 37-acre air force base for 3000 personnel expected to be stationed there. This base will also serve as administrative headquarters and contain warehouses to store munitions. During the recent visit of a US delegation headed by Senate majority leader Tom Daschle, Kyrgyz officials announced that they had granted the United States the use of Manas airport for 12 months. 'Maybe one year will not be enough. We believe that if one year is not enough, then in autumn 2002 we will reconsider and there may be a need to prolong the accord', Kyrgyz president A. Akaev said in a television interview.

Manas is suitable for both military and relief flights, able to accommodate fighter jets as well as large cargo and refuelling planes. In addition, Manas has few regularly scheduled civilian flights every day, and thus can handle US military air traffic without much disruption. The United States is planning to relocate fighter jets from Pakistan to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Favourable terms have reportedly been secured for the soldiers who will serve in Kyrgyzstan. They will be free to enter and leave the country, to wear uniforms and to carry weapons. They will also be immune from prosecution by the local authorities.

Construction of the US base at Manas airport should help establish Kyrgyzstan as a hub for reconstruction operations in Afghanistan and for Central Asian stabilization efforts. In return for the granting of basing rights, Akaev hopes for a large increase in American political and economic support for Kyrgyzstan, which has been bullied over a variety of political and economic issues by its larger neighbour, Uzbekistan. Washington also has signed basing agreements with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, which provided airport facilities for the war in Afghanistan. The Bush Administration is also discussing a similar arrangement with Kazakhstan. The local public opinion about the American military presence appears to be mixed. According to some reports, many residents -- especially in the Fergana Valley -- disapprove of the anti-Taliban war in Afghanistan. In Tashkent, on the other hand, a large majority of those questioned expressed approval for the anti-terrorism campaign. Nearly all the people I spoke to there, thou gh, did not believe that current conditions necessitated the construction of an American base in Kyrgyzstan. Many believe the Americans' real motive is to supplant the Russian influence in Central Asia.