Uzbek Crisis: Blame The West

Ahmed Rashid explains why Western powers must bear the blame for Uzbekistan crisis:

"After President Islam Karimov's American-trained crack troops massacred an estimated 500 people on the streets of Andizhan, the Uzbek leader insisted that the victims were Islamic terrorists. They were not. But the real danger is now that Islamic extremists, rather than democratic forces, will exploit the power vacuum.

Much of the blame for the present crisis rests on the shoulders of the United States, Britain and European powers who since September 2001 have refused to support democracy and instead propped up dictatorships in Central Asia...

Are we really so arrogant that we can never admit mistakes?