In Uzbekistan, which likes to behave as a regional power in Central Asia, large-scale antigovernment protests by citizens have begun to shake the foundations of the authoritarian regime of President Islam Karimov. Demonstrations broke out last week in the town of Andijan in the Fergana Valley, where rebels had announced a plan to build an Islamic state. The trigger came when armed men freed 2,000 inmates from a prison. The attack escalated into a blood bath as law-enforcement authorities suppressed it. The demonstrations then spread to another town.
The demonstrations in Uzbekistan were sparked apparently by recent political changes that have occurred in neighboring Kyrgyzstan. Many Uzbeks reside in the southern part of Kyrgyzstan, close to the Fergana Valley.
The Uzbek government has pointed its finger at the involvement of Islamic extremists and tried to frame the incident as evidence of the need to fight terrorism. However, such an attitude appears capable of only driving the public further away from the government. Current developments are forcing President Karimov to face up to the reality that has caused public dissatisfaction with his repressive regime.