Relationship dossier
United States
Uzbekistan
Relationship assessment
Practical security and economic cooperation coexist with recurring human-rights tensions.
United States toward Uzbekistan
+25The United States has provided security and development assistance and engaged Uzbekistan on counterterrorism and Afghanistan. A 2002 strategic partnership declaration and later high-level engagement supported cooperation. U.S. criticism of Uzbekistan’s response to the 2005 Andijan events contributed to a severe rupture, and the United States lost access to the Karshi-Khanabad base.
Uzbekistan toward United States
+30Uzbekistan cooperated with the United States on Afghanistan and counterterrorism, including by permitting U.S. military use of the Karshi-Khanabad air base from 2001 until 2005. Uzbekistan later required the United States to leave the base amid a sharp bilateral dispute following U.S. criticism of the Andijan events.
Overall relationship
+25The relationship has a durable basis in security cooperation and strategic engagement, but it has not been consistently close. Cooperation on Afghanistan and counterterrorism has been offset by major disputes over human rights and the 2005 termination of U.S. access to Karshi-Khanabad. Later engagement has supported a more practical relationship without removing those sources of tension.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
The United States and Uzbekistan have maintained a practical relationship involving security cooperation, counterterrorism, and engagement on Afghanistan, alongside trade and development initiatives. A 2002 strategic partnership declaration and subsequent high-level engagement provided a framework for cooperation. Relations have also faced serious strains over Uzbekistan’s human-rights record, particularly after the 2005 Andijan events and the termination of U.S. use of the Karshi-Khanabad air base.
Areas of tension
- U.S. criticism of Uzbekistan’s human-rights record, including its response to the 2005 Andijan events.
- Uzbekistan’s termination of U.S. military access to the Karshi-Khanabad air base in 2005.
Key developments
The United States and Uzbekistan established diplomatic relations.
The two governments adopted a Declaration on Strategic Partnership and Cooperation.
Uzbekistan ended U.S. military access to the Karshi-Khanabad air base amid a major dispute following the Andijan events.
The two governments announced an enhanced strategic partnership during renewed high-level engagement.
Major uncertainties
- The current scope and implementation of bilateral security cooperation are unclear.
- The extent to which recent strategic and economic initiatives have produced durable outcomes is uncertain.