Sunday, July 31, 2005
The United States stands on principle and loses a base in central Asia
The United States has a strategically significant base in Uzbekistan, which borders on Afghanistan. In May, Uzbekistan's hideous government opened fire on demonstrators and killed hundreds of innocent people, raising the ire of the civilized countries of the world. The United States, among others, threw a fit. Uzbekistan has now expelled the United States, ordering it out of the base within six months. Russia and China, neither offended by the thugs running Uzbekistan but both sorely annoyed by the U.S. presence in central Asia, are happy today.
The next time somebody tells you that the United States operates without principle, remind them that the Bush Administration walked away from an important base in central Asia because it stood up for political liberty in one of the most isolated places on the planet.
1 Comments:
By 
, at
Tue Aug 02, 01:05:00 PM:
They didn't walk away on principle, they were kicked out.
As for US principles in promoting democracy this is the same country where political prisoners have been boiled alive for the past 2 years under the banner of it being a "war on terror" effort of a US ally.
I am yet to hear one squeek from anyone about that. The reason would apparently be the exemption afforded by the "you're either with us" clause.
