It’s one of those dodgy Central Asian regimes with a weird name ending in “stan”, and few people know much about it. Hell, I’ll freely admit I know little about it beyond the fact it’s politically repressed, protestors have been shot there (accused of being terrorists), it’s effectively a police state and we turn a blind eye because it’s one of our “key allies”. A key ally to whom we supply arms and training for government enforcers, despite the highly suspect nature of the regime in charge…

This strikes me as an ideal opportunity to find out more. Sign up. Start with the Wikipedia page. Check out the archives at Publius Pundit and Registan (plus the sidebar links at the latter) and let’s spread the word. (Good work, Disillusioned Kid)

(Note: I’m not too sure about sanctions being the solution here (it hardly worked against Saddam, after all – or Castro, for that matter). They have a tendency to hit the poorest worst, and they’re having a bad enough time as it is. Others think differently. Either way, a swell of public outrage that our government is helping this highly unpleasant regime maintain power could well do some good in the current climate. They want to prove they have the moral high ground to kick off their anti-terrorism measures? Fine, let them prove it. Let’s get our own house in order – and that includes the friends we keep.)