So long as the IMU threat is crushed, it is unlikely that the United States will quibble with the details. For instance, Washington has already quietly given Ethiopia the green light to muck about in Somalia under the pretext of rooting out Islamic fundamentalists. But eradicating the IMU will not end the danger of Islamic militancy in the region, especially with Karimov taking more power.

The president admits no political dissent within his country whatsoever, and even the U.S. State Department released a report two weeks ago calling Uzbekistan an "authoritarian" state with a "very poor" human rights record, Agence France-Presse reported. Such conditions create an ideal breeding ground for the type of rage that spawns organizations like al Qaeda. Indeed, it was in the Ferghana Valley under Karimov's repressive hand that the IMU originated. By strengthening Karimov in order to eradicate the IMU, Washington is exchanging an acute victory for a chronic problem.

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