As of next year, Central Asia will have come fully online to Western energy markets, as twin oil and gas pipelines linking the Caspian sea to Turkey will begin to deliver. By this time, the world will likely finally understand that US foreign policy, known to be energy focused, is intent on more than just bringing Iraq to its knees. This weekend's decision by the leadership of Uzbekizstan, just hours ahead of a key meeting with US officials, to ask US forces to leave its Karsy Khanabad airbase -dubbed K2- might be a turning point however.
The US opened military bases in Uzbekistan and neighboring Kyrgyzstan, both bordering on China, in 2001. But the agreements were rather makeshift and the parties involved hardly trust each other. In the wake of the massacre by Uzbek government forces, the situation between the US and the regime in Uzbekistan have been especially jittery. US top officials did whatever they could to avoid Islam Karimov's regime to change its mind on the US troops' presence, including a shameful attempt to block UN action calling for an official investigation into the massacre. To no avail however. The deal -a collaboration of sorts- is off now. US troops are packing their bags.
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As of next year, Central Asia will have come fully online to Western energy markets, as twin oil and gas pipelines linking the Caspian sea to Turkey will begin to deliver. By this time, the world will likely finally understand that US foreign policy, known to be energy focused, is intent on more than just bringing Iraq to its knees. This weekend's decision by the leadership of Uzbekizstan, just hours ahead of a key meeting with US officials, to ask US forces to leave its Karsy Khanabad airbase -dubbed K2- might be a turning point however.
