[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 35 (Thursday, March 15, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E382-E383]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CENTRAL ASIAN REPRESSION AND MISMANAGEMENT ARE THE PROBLEM NOT THE 
                SOLUTION TO COMBATING ISLAMIC EXTREMISM

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. DAN BURTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 15, 2001

  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, those of us who follow events in 
Central Asia are alarmed by the growing influence of Islamic extremism 
in Central Asia. As my colleagues are aware, an Islamic insurgency has 
taken root in the Fergana valley area where the borders of Uzbekistan, 
Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan meet. Reports indicate that this insurgency 
is being supported and fueled by the fiercely Islamic Taliban in 
Afghanistan.
  So far, Kazakhstan has not been directly affected by this insurgency. 
However, because

[[Page E383]]

of its oil and mineral wealth, Kazakhstan is the crown jewel of the 
region and is thus another likely target of Islamic extremist groups. 
Kazakhstan's democratically challenged regime has taken note of the 
alarming developments in its neighbors to the south and has taken steps 
to strengthen its defenses. That's the good news. The bad news, 
however, is that President Nursultan Nazarbayev has apparently stepped 
up his repression, and it has been reported that he is plundering his 
oil and mineral rich country by siphoning hundreds of millions of 
dollars into foreign bank accounts. As a result, President Nazarbayev 
is said to be the eighth richest person in the world.
  The people of Kazakhstan are not as blind. They can easily see that 
they inhabit a rich country, and they are justifiably beginning to ask 
why so little of their country's great wealth seems to be trickling 
down to them. The people are also not blind to sham elections, the 
stifling of press freedom, and the jailing of opposition leaders that 
have come to characterize the country's political life. I have been 
told that more and more people in Kazakhstan are losing hope, and are 
more willing to give Islamic extremists groups, who claim that they 
will eliminate the corruption of the current regime, a chance to 
govern.
  In the March 3 issue of the Economist, there is an excellent article 
on Kazakhstan's security situation. At the end of the article, the 
author states ``Government repression and mismanagement help to nourish 
extremism and terrorism in Central Asia. An effort to improve social 
and economic conditions and freedom of expression might make Kazakhstan 
less fertile ground for militant zealots.'' I wholeheartedly agree with 
this premise, and I ask that the full text of the Economist article 
appear immediately after my remarks.
  Mr. Speaker, some people in Washington may be tempted to urge U.S. 
support for the Nazarbayev regime because it claims to be a bulwark of 
defense against Islamic extremism. But according to the information 
that I have been receiving, it is the Nazarbayev regime itself that 
will likely fuel the growth of Islamic extremism. Democracy, a free 
press, and respect for human rights are the keys to protecting a 
country like Kazakhstan from the influence of Islamic extremists 
groups. The United States must stand with regimes in Central Asia who 
share these key democratic values, not those regimes and leaders who 
subvert them.

                   [From the Economist, Mar. 3, 2001]

                               In defence

       When the Soviet Union broke up ten years ago, the leaders 
     of Central Asia's newly independent states felt safe from 
     possible attacks on their region. Their main concern was to 
     promote order, economic reform and the assertion of power for 
     themselves and their families. They were jolted out of their 
     complacency by bomb blasts in Tashkent, the capital of 
     Uzbekistan, in February 1999 and an attack by Islamic 
     militants in Kirgizstan in August. Last year Islamists again 
     attacked both countries.
       Although Kazakhstan was not directly affected by these 
     attacks, they have alerted the country to look to its 
     defences. President Nursultan Nazarbaev has set about making 
     Kazakhstan's armed forces capable of dealing with what he 
     believes are the main threats to the state; terrorism as a 
     result of religious extremism, and organized crime.
       He is strengthening defences in the south, in the 
     mountainous border regions from which an Islamic incursion 
     might come. He wants his soldiers to be more mobile. Sniper 
     groups are being formed. Villagers with local knowledge of 
     the terrain are being recruited as guides. The country's 
     defence budget has been more than doubled this year to $171m, 
     or 1% of GDP. Soldiers' pay is to go up by 30-40%.
       One difficulty is the Kazakhstan's borders were not clearly 
     defined in Soviet times, so it is difficult to decide what is 
     a ``border incursion''. Kazakhstan has 14,000 km (8,750 
     miles) of borders with neighboring states. It has agreed on 
     its border with China, but it is still negotiating with 
     Russia, Kirgizstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Bulat 
     Sultanov, of Kazakhstan's Institute of Strategic Studies, 
     worries that ``our border troops cannot carry out any 
     operations because there is no legal basis for them.''
       Last year, Uzbek border guards entered southern Kazakhstan 
     and claimed a stretch of land. Since then, there have been 
     several brushes between Uzbeks and Kazakhs, mostly villagers 
     unclear about which country they are living in. All this is a 
     distraction from the task of making the south of Kazakhstan 
     more secure.
       Then there is Afghanistan. Although Kazakhstan is not a 
     direct neighbour, the fiercely Islamic Taliban who control 
     most of Afghanistan are a worry to all of Central Asia. They 
     are believed to provide training for extremists, among them 
     the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), which wants to set 
     up a caliphate in the Fergana valley, where Kirgizstan, 
     Tajikistan and Uzbekistan meet. The IMU was said to be behind 
     the attacks in Kirgizstan and Uzbekistan in the past two 
     years and is thought to be preparing another assault before 
     long.
       Most of Kazakhstan's military equipment dates back to the 
     Soviet period. Replacing, say, old helicopters used in the 
     border areas will be expensive, but necessary. In January a 
     Mi-8 helicopter crashed in the south, injuring the defence 
     minister, Sat Tokpakbaev, who was aboard. Another helicopter 
     crashed near the Chinese border two weeks ago, killing six 
     people.
       Kazakhstan will receive arms from Russia worth $20m this 
     year as part of its annual payment for the use of a space-
     rocket site at Baikonur. It is due to receive over $4m from 
     the United States to improve border security. The government 
     might also consider some nonmilitary measures. Government 
     repression and mismanagement help to nourish extremism and 
     terrorism in Central Asia. An effort to improve social and 
     economic conditions and freedom of expression might make 
     Kazakhstan less fertile ground for militant zealots.

     

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