Black Sand Dune

Festival of Spring

2010-03-22T12:47:00.001-06:00

From the London times comes a fascinating series of pictures from Iran, Turkey, and Afghanistan of people celebrating the Festival of Spring:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article7050537.ece

These Photographs are Illegal

2010-01-28T21:48:00.001-07:00

http://www.rferl.org/photogallery/3213.html

King Leopold's Ghost

2010-01-04T18:34:00.005-07:00

King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild is an enthralling history of the colonization of the Congo Basin and the international outcry that exposed the atrocious slave system imposed by King Leopold II of Belgium. What makes this story so fascinating are the characters who prove the old adage that truth is better than fiction, none of whom are more fascinating than the sadistic King of Belgium. King Leopold II made it his life's work to own a colony and spent half his life hunting the globe for a piece of land on which to plant his flag. Unfortunately for the tribesmen of the Congo basin, their "undiscovered" home was the last piece of land not grabbed by more powerful nations such as Great Britain, France and Germany.

Under the rule of Leopold II, the tribes of the Congo were enslaved by colonial armed forces and forced to collect wild rubber or face death. Often, wives and children were held hostage and murdered at the slightest shortfall in the rubber quota. Thousands died building the railway line that hauled the plundered wealth of the Congo to the industrialized nations of the world. It was wild Congo rubber that supplied the huge demand for pneumatic tires for bicycles and cars before farmed rubber trees yielded their first crop.

Hochschild's book, like those who exposed the abuses of the regime, details the brutal economic system that allowed Leopold's men to extract Congo's resources. What it reveals about the results is staggering. Without census records it is difficult to be precise, but most experts, including sources from the time, estimate that the Congo's population was cut in half from 1880 - 1920 directly or indirectly from murder, starvation, disease and exposure. This was not a case of genocide; the bodies broken in the Congo were broken on the cogs of an economic wheel that ground on regardless of the cost in human life.

This episode, nearly untold, reminded me of another little known economic holocaust that occurred in Central Asia. During the first of Stalin's 5 year plans, the nomadic peoples of Central Asia suffered disproportionately compared to the populations of agrarian societies as Soviet Russian colonizers enforced collective farming.

During this period it is estimated that between 1.3 and 1.8 million Kazakhs died as a result of forced collectivization. As with rubber quotas, agricultural quotas were to be filled on pain of death and in Kazakhstan, like the Congo, the result was the near complete eradication of traditional culture and death on a massive scale. In Kazakhstan, nearly a quarter of the 6 million strong population perished in the course of a few short years of forced collectivization.

For the survivors, it was a horrific experience. Although the official record of the famine has been suppressed, memories haunt the survivors. "People told [my uncle] the roads were lined with corpses and that wild animals, particularly wolves, were eating the corpses," Tokmurzin said. "The people said these animals might attack my uncle. More shocking were the tales of gangs of cannibals roaming the countryside." http://www.rferl.org/content/article/1079304.html Oral histories such as Tokmurzin's are invaluable sources in illiterate cultures, where like the Congo, little attempt has been made to collect an official history. With few written sources, most of these voices are lost to the past.

SOURCES

Robert Service. A History of Twentieth Century Russia, Harvard University Press, 1997.

Adam Hochschild. King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror and Heroism in Colonial Africa, HM, 1998.

Kazakhstan: The Forgotten Famine.d http://www.rferl.org/content/article/1079304.html

http://www.populstat.info/Asia/kazakhsc.htm

Uighurs in Guantanamo to be Freed

2008-10-07T19:08:00.003-06:00

CNN carries a story about the 17 Guantanamo Uighurs, whom a judge has ordered to be released into the United States without condition. The government is going to challenge the order, but the judge seems pretty firm over the issue. The Uighurs have been declared a non-threat to the U.S. but have not been released into America because of diplomatic fears concerning China and have not yet found a country willing to take them in, presumably for similar reasons. I think this is good news, personally, and I'm glad to see someone finally making some effort to free these people who have committed no crime against our country. While groups the the East Turkistan Islamic Movement are certainly not laudable in any way, Uighurs are in real danger of torture and murder by the Chinese government, and it's about time somebody at least has made a move to release these prisoners.

Al-Jazeera Segment on the Georgian Conflict

2008-08-15T19:30:00.002-06:00

An interesting report from Al-Jazeera English about the Russian advance.

Read and Learn

2008-08-15T18:52:00.003-06:00

I haven't posted here for quite some time, despite the fact that Georgia and Russia are now at war and every other blog everywhere, expert or no, is posting vigorously about Georgia and Russia. I tried at first to post updates on the conflict, but the rate of information and the reliability of that information made that task much too difficult.

I have been doing a lot of reading about the conflict in Russia and Georgia in the meantime. There are some interesting discussions going on all over the place. If you are interested, I recommend reading some of the opinions at Registan.net, Eurasianet.org, and some interesting pieces by Steve Levine, for starters. There is a lot of opinions being given about the future of Georgia, winners and losers and the future of Caspian energy that might be food for thought.

Abkhaz Separatists Open Possible Second Front

2008-08-09T14:03:00.002-06:00

Abkhaz separatists have struck Georgian positions at a strategic gorge. Like the SO, Abkhazia is supported by Russia.

Pictures From Ossetia Conflict

2008-08-08T19:34:00.003-06:00

If you're reading this blog, you are surely already aware that Russia invaded Georgia Friday morning. This situation is extremely tragic for a country like Georgia that is desperately trying to democratize and modernize and a warning for anyone who dares contradict Russian power in its backyard. Russia is still desperate to assert itself in regional politics, and they seem to prefer their classic methods, namely coercion, deception, and violence. The NY Times has posted a couple of photo albums that include pictures from the conflict. They can be found here:

Ossetian Conflict

Assorted Pics, including Ossetia conflict, Afghanistan, Uighur protester

And in case you were wondering, the conflict has escalated to the point where the Russians have begun bombing the beautiful city of Tbilisi.

The Pakghani Front

2008-08-04T09:43:00.003-06:00

The Wall Street Journal carries an interesting commentary on the need to secure the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan if any progress is to be made in the former country.

A stickier problem for the Afghans and coalition forces is the eastern frontier abutting Pakistan's tribal belt. More boots on the ground there could better patrol the porous, mountainous border. The new and weak government in Pakistan in March struck truces with militants there, mostly Pashtuns and a handful of foreign terrorists. They use this sanctuary for strikes into Afghanistan. On a clear day, American troops can see the training camps on the other side of the frontier.

Afghanistan is a regional problem. As foreign terrorists are flushed from Iraq, many make their way to the al Qaeda and Taliban-run training camps in the Pakistan tribal belt. The blame for this falls squarely at the feet of Pakistan's democratically elected government. For the second time in two years, the Pakistanis have struck ill-considered deals with the terrorists there.

Pakistan has been meddling in Afghani affairs for decades and is not willing to stop now. They have supported the Taliban from the beginning and they really don't seem to have stopped at all, despite their declared position as an ally to the United States. Well, with allies like Pakistan, who needs enemies? With the recent findings by American intelligence services that Pakistani intelligence agencies helped plan the recent bombing of the Indian Embassy in Kabul, I think it's high time Pakistan status as a 'friend' to America and in the world in general should maybe be revised. They aren't helping in Afghanistan(or anywhere else for that matter) and they are very much hindering any progress.

Zawahiri Dead?

2008-08-03T21:49:00.002-06:00

Unconfirmed reports emerging that Zawahiri may be dead or severely wounded. Probably not true, since Pakistani and US officials seem doubtful, but I guess we'll find out soon.

Al Qaeda in Iraq Switching Front to Afghanistan

2008-08-03T21:44:00.002-06:00

An interesting post from Jihadica about AQI bailing out of Iraq in favor of Afghanistan.

--Thanks to Jari at Stupidest Man on Earth for directing me there.

Pakistan ISI Helped in Kabul Bombing

2008-08-01T21:31:00.007-06:00

Icka, you'll be interested in this one: Pakistan's intelligence service was an accomplice in the recent bombing of the Indian embassy in Kabul.

The ISI has had long standing ties with Al Qaeda and affiliated groups since before 9/11. Afghanistan is our war, not Pakistan's; Pakistan's existential enemy is India, not Afghanistan.

Jehovah's Witnesses Jailed in Uzbekistan Terror Raid

2008-07-30T21:30:00.004-06:00

Forum 18 reports that two Jehovah Witnesses have been jailed after a raid by anti-terrorist police. Other members of the faith have been fined or sentenced to labor camps. The current total of Jehovah's Witnesses now imprisoned in Uzbekistan now stands at four.

Authoritarian regimes in the region have used the 'threat' of terrorism as an excuse to lock up or persecute religious minorities consistently since 9/11, including minority Muslim groups that don't subscribe to 'official' Islam. The Jehovah's Witness faith was outlawed in 2006 and the members of the organization were arrested as part of a special terrorist cleaning campaign.

Salafism Spreads in Tajikistan

2008-07-29T18:52:00.002-06:00

RFE/RL has an interesting article about the spread of Salafism in Tajikistan.

Hey, Russia, Stop Being so Freakin' Emo

2008-07-25T17:39:00.002-06:00

Fearful of Russia's moral decline, Russian parliamentarians have introduced measures to curb 'un-Russian' influences. RFE/RL reports that a number of measures, such as bans on piercings, Halloween and St. Valentines Day, are being debated in the Duma and are likely to pass.

Top on the list of immoral foreign influences is the emo culture, which is feared to promote bi-sexuality.

But cheer up emo-Putin, Nashi still loves you.

Football Diplomacy Update

2008-07-16T16:38:00.005-06:00

Turkey has still not decided whether or not to accept Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian's invitation to the 2010 World Cup qualifying match on Sept. 6. Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan has said that the decision will be made based on "developments that occur between today and the match date," according to the AP.

For more information on Nagorno-Karabakh, check out this article at globalsecurity.org

Afghan Olympian Flees

2008-07-14T17:00:00.004-06:00

Nineteen-year-old Mahbooba Ahadyar has fled her Olympic training camp in Italy in fear of her life, Eurasianet.org reports.

"When I was in Kabul, I received many anonymous phone calls from people who threatened me and told me not to compete in sports. Even some of our neighbors have harassed me about it," Ahadyar said.

The Olympic committee in Afghanistan plans to send someone in her place, but it's a shame that this young women will be unable to represent her country.

UPDATE: CBC Video on Mahbooba Ahadyar

Mongolian Unrest

2008-07-14T00:16:00.003-06:00

I don't know very much about Mongolia, but this article sums up well what is currently happening in a rare democracy in their part of the world. Let's hope things clear up and work out for the best.

The ruling Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party won a parliamentary majority of 45 seats in late June elections. The Democratic Party won 28 seats, with smaller parties making up the difference in the 76-seat chamber. But instead of accepting defeat, the opposition leader stirred mass protests with allegations of cheating, all broadcast on television. After the dust settled, the MPRP headquarters was burned, five people were killed, and more than 300 injured.

Five Books on Afghanistan

2008-07-13T23:53:00.001-06:00

The Wall Street Journal offers a list of five of the best books to familiarize oneself with Afghanistan.

Armenia's President Takes the First Step

2008-07-13T23:36:00.005-06:00

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan took an important step in normalizing Armenia's tense relationship with Turkey, extending a hand of friendship and cooperation through a Wall Street Journal editorial espousing the benefits of open borders between Armenia and Turkey. The result of Turkey's solidarity with cousins Azerbaijan during the Karabakh conflict, Turkey's closed policy toward Armenia only serves to damage a struggling democracy and maintain the dysfunctionality of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations. Turkey and Armenia reengaging with each other would certainly upset Azeris, but it would be an important step toward a healthy Southern Caucasus and would maybe push the Azeris to reconsider their extreme animosity to all things Armenian.

During the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Turkey closed its border with Armenia as an expression of ethnic solidarity with Turkic Azerbaijan. The regrettable result is that for almost 15 years, the geopolitically vital border between Armenia and Turkey has become a barrier to diplomatic and economic cooperation. It is closed not only to Armenians and Turks who might want to visit their neighboring countries, but to trade, transport and energy flows from East to West.

There is no real alternative to the establishment of normal relations between our countries. It is my hope that both of our governments can pass through the threshold of this new open door. Establishing normal political relations would enable us to create a commission to comprehensively discuss all of the complex issues affecting Armenia and Turkey. We cannot expect tangible progress without such structured relations. Only through them can we create an effective dialogue touching upon even the most contentious historical issues.

Hopefully, Turkey will be willing to set aside old differences for the general good and President Sargsyan's goodwill and optimism(two sentiments severely lacking in the region) will not be misplaced.

Al Qaeda Recruits Children in Central Asia

2008-07-05T22:25:00.003-06:00

According to a CBS news report Al Qaeda has moved into the former Soviet Union in order to recruit children for their cause. The terrorist organization is estimated to have recruited a few hundred children, mostly from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, CBS's source has said.

"'The effort to recruit young boys for the cause has been extended to central Asia. We have reports that this effort may now be up to two years old,' said one senior Middle Eastern security official who spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity. "

If this report is true, the likely result is increased cooperation between the US, NATO, Russia with Central Asian dictators to combat terrorism. It wouldn't be surprising if China got more involved either. Russia will be especially forthcoming in military aid as Al Qaeda makes in roads into their 'backyard'.

In the long run, recruiting children in Central Asia will probably be a PR defeat for AQ in Central Asia as Central Asian Muslims are generally more moderate than their Afghan coreligionists. Hopefully, the collective disgust of recruiting child-terrorists will translate into communities working together to eject AQ from Central Asia. I'm curious to know how Uzbeks and Tajiks on the street will react/are reacting to this news.

Shi'ism: Part III

2008-07-05T21:58:00.003-06:00

Here is footage I accidentally took with digital camera on the way to Guba, Azerbaijan. This shrine is located at the foot of Beshbarmak Mountain, which is considered a holy place local Muslims. The mountain is visible in the background. In the foreground to the left is the shrine and to the right is a fountain visitors use to wash themselves.

Our driver, Chingiz, a Sunni, told us he didn't believe the shrine was true Islam, just superstition. I wish I had more info about the shrine, but I can't find any.

Ashoura

2008-07-04T00:42:00.004-06:00

Ashoura in Shiraz, Iran, 2007.

"Every year on the tenth day of the holy month of Muharram, the first on the Islamic lunar calendar, Shia Muslims show a distinctive face of Islam, one that sees spirituality in passion and rituals rather than in the law and the familiar practices that punctuate Muslim lives. . . . No observer of this day, the festival of Ashoura, will remain unaffected by the Shias' display of fealty to their faith."

Vali Nasri, The Shia Revival: How Conflicts within Islam Will Shape the Future

The Shia Revival

2008-07-03T22:46:00.010-06:00

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

I'm reading The Shia Revival by Vali Nasr and at about 140 pages in I'm hooked. I got the book from my brother for my birthday the other night and I read over hundred pages of it today. Nazri's book is a well balanced blend of popular history, insightful analysis and colorful anecdotes. Above all, it is well and thoughtfully written.

The thesis of Nasr's book revolves around the millennium and a half conflict between the Sunni and Shia branches of Islam and how that conflict continues to shape events in the Muslim world today. Essentially, Nasr argues that the war in Iraq has revitalized the sectarian antagonism between the two branches of Islam and that this renewed internecine feud will play a leading role in shaping the Muslim world now and in future.

This book is an excellent read for a general audience and anyone interested in getting a better understanding of the forces at work in the Islamic world will find this book fascinating. Anyone interested in the future of the world will find it fascinating, for that matter.

Banned in Uzbekistan

2008-07-01T18:49:00.008-06:00

"...authoritarian systems reinforce, while discouraging attempts to puncture whatever quixotic illusions may exist at the top."
-John Lewis Gaddis, We Now Know

Independent news websites and blogs from Uzbekistan have joined a campaign against internet censorship, according to RFE/RL. The idependent newsite Fergana.ru, reports that government authorities have systemically cracked down on internet sites since the 2005 Andijon massacre. Not suprisingly, the Paris based agency Reporters without Borders rates Uzbekistan tenth from the bottom in it's freedom of the press rankings along with Turkmenistan, Cuba, North Korea, China and Iran. In their annual Nations in Transit 2008 study, Freedom House gave Uzbekistan a seven out of ten score for independent media, which gives Uzbekistan a tie with Turkmenistan for the worst score in the former Soviet Union.

A statement from the uznews.com states "A technical ban on surfing independent websites became widespread in Uzbekistan after the Andijan massacre in May 2005. Since then, experts estimate, Uzbek Internet users have been deprived of access to hundreds of websites."

So, what is so dangerous about these websites that they've been banned by the Uzbekistan government? Check them out and see for yourself.

Fergana.ru
Uzbekistan's Civil Society
Uznews.net

Guantanamo Uighurs

2008-06-30T08:36:00.005-06:00

From an insightful editorial in the Wall Street Journal called Uighur Justice:

Like Tibetans, Uighurs have endured decades of discrimination and brutal oppression under Chinese rule. A religious and ethnic minority, they are routinely denied basic civil, religious and political rights. Uighurs are -- almost without exception -- the only ethnic group in China to be routinely executed for political offenses. Since 9/11, China has used the U.S.-led "war on terror" as an excuse to oppress Uighurs with impunity, persecuting many who have peacefully protested their treatment. China regularly dubs Uighur historians, poets and writers "intellectual terrorists" and sends them to jail. In 2005, a young intellectual, Nurmemet Yasin, was sentenced to a decade in prison for writing an allegory likening the Uighur predicament to that of a pigeon in a cage.

Until Communist China recognizes Uighurs' democratic freedoms, U.S. resettlement is a far better solution. Uighurs constitute perhaps the most pro-American and pro-Western Muslims in the world. In the early 20th century, the Uighurs' homeland of East Turkistan was the first secular and democratic republic in the Muslim world, outside of Turkey. The Uighurs want to re-establish this republic, complete with guarantees of religious freedom and peaceful enjoyment of their human rights. Many Uighurs fully agree when America professes the need to end tyranny in the world. They maintain that democracy and respect for human rights is the best defense against terrorism.

Tibet is the more popular cause among activists, but ethnic Uighurs in China have been persecuted just as badly, arguably worse, than their Tibetan neighbors. The U.S. has captured or been sold by bounty hunters quite a few Uighur prisoners in Afghanistan and now faces a dilemma concerning their future. So far, no Uighur has been ruled a threat to the United States. China wants them expedited, which the U.S. won't do, knowing that they face torture and execution, but they also are very reticent to repatriate them to the United States which would spark a serious row with the Chinese. The situation Uighurs in China face is starkly different to that of most Islamic militants and adds a difficult moral dilemma to America's 'War on Terror.' It will be interesting to see how this plays out, especially given the certainty of a new president in six months.

Sole Tajikistan Synagogue Razed

2008-06-28T11:48:00.002-06:00

Reuters reports that Tajikistan's only synagogue has been razed to make room for a new palace for President Imomali Rakhmon, who has ruled since 1992. There are talks in the works to build a new synagogue, but it sounds like nothing concrete has been agreed upon. This community of 350 Jews in Dushanbe is part of the 2,000 year old Persian-speaking Bukharan Jewish community, which is centered in Bukhara, Uzbekistan.

I don't have much analysis to add to this except to add that it is no small tragedy. Not only was it the spiritual home of Dushanbe's mostly impoverished and elderly Jewish community, but the the 19th century synagogue was a historical heritage site. According to Radio Free Europe UNESCO petitioned the Tajik government to make it a protected landmark, but their request was ignored. Jews in Central Asia have faced increased discrimination and persecution since the fall of the Soviet Union and many have made their way to Israel. Tajikistan's Jewish community has shrunk from 15,000 at the fall of the USSR, to its current number of 1,000.

While I was in Bukhara my brother and I had the unique opportunity to surreptitiously observe a group of Jews in Bukhara, Uzbekistan at study for moment through a crack in the wooden doors of the synagogue. Watching them study was a brief glance back in time and one of the most memorable moments of the trip.

EU Sanctions Suspended

2008-06-24T18:41:00.000-06:00

Nearly two months after the European Union ruled that sanctions against Uzbekistan would remain suspended for six months, there are signs that Western governments continue to seek rapprochement with Tashkent. The trend is happening even while human rights bodies caution that lifting sanctions altogether will leave the West with no leverage to seek improvements in the country’s dismal human rights record. (via Eurasianet.org)

I think this could be the right direction, as long as it's part of a longer-term strategy. The current warming of relations between Uzbekistan and the West seems to be more tactical than strategic, the focus being on the GWoT and the war in Afghanistan. Hopefully, the suspension of sanctions indicates that the US and the EU aim to make themselves more appealing allies and competitive with the no-strings-attached China and long-time ally Russia. With a diplomatic and economic foot in the door, the US and EU will have more leverage to encourage democratic and human rights reform. But this will only work as part of comprehensive Central Asia strategy, which is something that has been sorely lacking US foreign policy for the past nearly twenty years.

Welcome

2008-06-23T21:09:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the Black Sand Dune blog. We hope to keep this updated frequently with book reviews, current events, travelogues and opinion pieces. This is a collective venture by two Brigham Young University students (one current, one alumnus). We are both passionate about Central Asia and have both lived, worked and traveled there in addition to studying about the region at BYU. We hope that we can shed some light on Central Asian issues and bring new perspectives to the community of Central Asia bloggers.