Now that Manas was officially ordered to be closed this past Friday, the US has 6 months to close up shop. On Tuesday, General Petraus visited Tashkent to discuss alternative supply routes. As you likely know, in 2005 the US base in Uzbekistan was closed after Uzbek authorities machine gunned 500 people in Andijon and the US complained about it. It does not seem that the US is trying to regain use of the base, but rather gain greater cooperation on other matters. For example, the US is already allowed to have its soldiers pass through the German base.
I support greater engagement with all of the Central Asian countries. As Nathan over at Registan.net notes, perhaps this is the time for the US to finally put together a coherent policy of engagement with the countries of Central Asia, as opposed to the melange of ad hoc policies towards each country. This is much easier said than done, however, as politics there are extremely murky and the situation on the ground changes often. Overall, the US needs to greatly increase its area expertise and figure out what it needs to do in a more systematic fashion.
