3 September, 2016: Uzbek men gather to pay their last respects during the funeral of President Islam Karimov in Samarkand. (c) AP / Press Association Images. All rights reserved.Islam Karimov is dead, and Central Asia observers are warning of either a descent into factionalism and violence, or a continuation of the same inward-looking, dictatorial rule that Karimov pioneered for Central Asia over the past 25 years.
If the question is prediction, my bet is on the latter. But it is worth thinking through what is needed for Uzbekistan to attempt even a partial relaxing of the regime that Karimov built — perhaps not a 180-degree pivot, but 90 degrees, say.
Although Central Asia observers may remain pessimistic about what is likely to happen next in Uzbekistan, I will focus here on ways Uzbekistan could open up — and why that would be a good idea.
