On September 22, the U.S. Congress adopted a decision to abolish sanctions on provision of military aid to Uzbekistan. The sanctions were imposed in 2004 due to a worsening situation in press freedom and repression of civil society in the country. After the Andijan events in 2005, relations between Tashkent and Washington cooled even further. Nevertheless, Uzbekistan recently reasserted its strategic importance in its relations with the U.S. and has come to play an important role in the so called Northern Distribution Network (NDN), which supplies NATO troops in Afghanistan. In light of the worsened relations between U.S. and Pakistan, it seems that the Obama administration plans to increase Uzbekistan’s role in the NDN, in spite of continued protests from international and local human rights activists calling for careful attention to Uzbekistan’s poor situation in terms of human rights and freedoms.

Together with several human rights and trade union organizations, Human Rights Watch accused U.S. authorities of lenience toward the repressive regime of Islam Karimov. Activists think that by lifting the sanctions, Washington sends a “terrible signal” to human rights activists in Uzbekistan’s opposition. They therefore emphasized in a letter to the U.S. State Secretary Hillary Clinton that a return to normal relations with Tashkent is inadmissible, and that Uzbekistan’s importance for the U.S. as a strategic partner in stabilizing the situation in Afghanistan and the region should not overshadow the “terrible reputation of this country in the sphere of human rights.”

It nonetheless seems that the arguments of human rights activists failed to have a significant impact on U.S. policies. In a telephone conversation between President Obama and his Uzbek counterpart on September 28, the parties confirmed their plans to continue an “open and full-fledged political dialogue.” They especially underlined the existence of common interests not only in the framework of multidimensional bilateral cooperation, but also in policy coordination on regional and international issues. Furthermore, Clinton stated to AP that Uzbekistan demonstrates signs of an improving situation with human rights and enhancement of political freedoms and that Uzbekistan has proven its usefulness in supplying the Northern Distribution Network and in supporting U.S. efforts to rebuild Afghanistan.

U.S. authorities provided several explanations for the efforts to establish closer ties with Uzbekistan. For instance, a high-ranking U.S. official explained that the U.S. is not trying to bribe Uzbekistan, but is seeking approval from the Congress to provide some aid of a non-lethal nature in order to help the republic to protect itself in case it is attacked by militants in revenge of its support for the Northern Distribution Network. He further specified that this aid would include items such as bullet-proof vests.

Meanwhile an official representative of the U.S. State Department stated that lifting the sanctions will allow the U.S. government to allocate means in line with foreign military financing for Uzbekistan’s purchase of equipment to strengthen its borders, through which goods for U.S. forces in Afghanistan are supplied. Since such transit places the territory of Uzbekistan and its borders under higher risk, strengthening the defense capability of Uzbekistan and especially its borders increases the security of this transit system. It is also reported that the amount of aid the U.S. plans to allocate to Uzbekistan for the next financial year is comparatively small, about US$100,000.

Right after the bill was adopted, the U.S. Senate required the Pentagon to improve the transparency of contracts under the NDN. The Senate is concerned over the lack of control of the NDN, which has turned into a profitable enterprise for the ruling elite of Uzbekistan, providing opportunities for personal enrichment and corruption. Thus, the Senate Committee on allocations demands detailed reports in order to prevent improper use of funds or resources.

By the end of the current year, U.S. military strategists plan to transfer up to 75 percent of all needed non-military goods through NDN, thus cutting current transit through Pakistan. In light of such developments, the role of Uzbekistan as one of the major transit areas will obviously increase. Nevertheless, it seems that the U.S. also attaches a special role to Uzbekistan as a strategic partner supporting U.S. operations in Afghanistan. Therefore, many local and international observers do not endorse the decision of the U.S. authorities to close their eyes on the persisting problems in Uzbekistan’s human rights situation and provide military or even non-military aid to a state that recently oppressed public unrest.