Uzbekistan Must Now Live Up to “Country of the Year” Honor

Expand Exterior of Barak-khan Madrasah in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. © Getty Images The year seems to be ending on a positive note for Uzbekistan. The Economist magazine this week declared Uzbekistan its ‘country of the year,’ arguing “no other country travelled as far” as the Central Asian nation in 2019 in terms of economic and other reforms. The anointment has amplified the buzz that already existed around the reform agenda of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who came to power in 2016 and has introduced significant changes, especially in economic and foreign policies. Uzbek authorities have spared…

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