The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
December 13, 2010

WikiLeaks: U.S. Overlooks Corruption in Uzbekistan
--------------------------------------------------



Other newly released U.S. diplomatic cables by Wiki Leaks characterize
the post-Soviet state of Uzbekistan as a nightmarish world of "rampant
corruption," torture, indentured servitude and organized crime. However,
the cables also reveal that the United States makes special efforts to
pander to Uzbek President Islam Karimov because he allows a crucial U.S.
military supply line to run into Afghanistan. U.S. Ambassador Richard
Norland warned in a cable to Washington: "Clearly, pressuring [Karimov]
could cost us transit."



.