the longer i am here, the easier it is to talk politics with the locals.
#4 on the road to samarkand
this is the only ride i have taken in this country between cities where my driver speaks english. we are alone in the car and he asks me what i think about the iraq war. i reply that i think it was a terrible mistake. the driver agrees, "yes, iraq had a bad president, but why must thousands of iraqis die because of that? our president is no good either. its not our fault."
#5 strolling through samarkand.
i am walking by a school in samarkand. my friend points to a school and tells me that is where president karimov went to school. although we are among crowds of people, i ask whether people like the president of this country. "they say he makes us poor." my friend replies without hesitation.
#6 margilan bazaar
as i walk through the bazaar one of the sellers invites me to sit and drink tea. if i took up everyone's invitation for tea, i would never be able to escape any uzbek bazaar, but i'm ready for a rest, so i sit with him. this guy loves talking politics. at first he misunderstands me when i say i speak english he thinks i mean that i am english and asks me about tony blair. when i tell him i am an american, he wants to know about "little bush." i tell him that bush is the worst president in the u.s. in my memory. he says that uzbekistan is worse. i can't really argue. "uzbekistan is totalitarian!" he says loudly in the crowded bazaar (his actions somewhat contradict his statement, no one arrests him or even takes note of his outburst).
contrary to my expectations people are not afraid to raise political issues in public here. but no one likes the uzbek president. i really wonder what will happen to this place in the long term.
