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standards and concepts oriented to unlawful activities running counter to the Law on freedom of conscience and religious organizations.
"Voprosy natsionalnykh i federativnykh otnoshenii," Moscow, Issue 3(18), 2012, pp. 153-171.
R. Nazarov, Ph. D. (Philosophy), V. Aliyeva, Ph. D. (Philosophy), S. Ganiyev, Post-graduate student, Institute of History, Uzbek Academy of Sciences MONITORING THE ETHNOPOLITICAL SITUATION. THE CIS COUNTRIES. UZBEKISTAN
Demography. According to the data of the State Statistical Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the number of the republican population increased by 1.5 percent in 2011, and reached 29 million 559.1 thousand in 2012. There were 626,900 newly-born babies. The number of the deceased was 144,700. The population surplus was 435,700 people. The towns and cities account for 51 percent of the country's population (15 million 069,600). The rural areas are inhabited by 49 percent (1,489,500). The ethnic composition of the population is as follows: Uzbeks - 80 percent, Tajiks - five percent, Russians - 4.5 percent, Kazakhs - 3.5 percent, Kara-Kalpaks - two percent, Tatars -1.1 percent, Kyrgyz - one percent, Turkmen - 0.7 percent, Koreans -0.6 percent. In all, the republic is inhabited by representatives of more than 130 nationalities and ethnic groups. The able-bodied people account for 68.8 percent.
Family problem. The republican center "Oila" ("Family") attached to the Women's Committee of Uzbekistan has submitted amendments to the Family Code with a view to raising the age limit of girls for marriage from 17 to 18 years. The Center's experts note that 17-year-old girls are not yet ready for motherhood and family responsibility. During the past year there were 283,000 registered
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marriages. Twenty years ago 42.7 percent of girls got married before reaching 19, whereas now the average age of entering into marriage is 21 - 22 among girls and 24 - 25 among young men. The size of duty for divorce has been increased to 20 minimal wages, that is, 1.26 sum ($700). According to sociological polls, 85.2 percent of Uzbekistan's citizens consider that the state takes enough care of their families and note that the family is the crucial factor in the system of social orientations and in the formation of the moral standards. The most important family values are respect for the old, good behavior in society, modesty and industriousness, and concern for the younger generation. More than half of respondents said that love is the most important condition for a happy marriage life. Then they named common interests, sincere and trust-based relations between husband and wife and a similar educational level. The state of health also plays a major role in the future family life. The state proclaimed the year 2012 the "Year of Firm Family," which shows that the state devotes much attention to family problems.
Migration. The Embassy of the Russian Federation in Uzbekistan and representatives of the administration of Smolensk region of Russia organized presentation ceremonies of the socioeconomic and migration potential of the region for Uzbek citizens in Tashkent and Almalyk within the framework of the project of the Russian Cultural Center of Uzbekistan on December 13-15, 2012. Uzbek guests at the ceremonies were told about Smolensk region, its infrastructure, industry, agriculture and cultural life.
Education. There are 70 higher educational institutions with the student body of 260,000 in the Republic of Uzbekistan. Apart from that the republic boasts 1,536 colleges and lyceums with 1.5 million students and 9,779 general public schools with 4,577,000 pupils. The total number of school textbooks printed by 2012 was 17 million 135
thousand. In 2011 the republican municipal authorities repaired or reconstructed about 580 school buildings, and 45 new schools were built in rural districts. Additional equipment, including computers, was granted to more than 520 schools.
Measures have been worked out for the introduction of broad professional education for 9-year school graduates. About twenty hostels have been built and opened for college graduates who needed board and lodging.
Agreements between colleges and industrial and agricultural enterprises have been concluded with a view to organizing curricular practical training for students and subsequent job placement. In this way more than 390,000 school and college graduates received jobs.
On February 18-25, 2012, the Russian Education Week was held in Uzbekistan with the participation of representatives of higher educational establishment of the Russian Federation. Among them were Irkutsk State Technical University, Tyumen State University, Mari State University. The Week ended with a round-table about innovative cooperation between higher educational institutions of Russia and Uzbekistan. Participants in the round-table discussed questions of interaction in the sphere of the implementation of joint innovation projects aimed at further consolidating all-round cooperation between the two countries. It was proposed to set up a center of innovative cooperation in the development of the economy and innovative technology.
Health protection. About 137 billion sum and $136 million, apart from the budget means, have been earmarked for the reconstruction and equipment of hospitals and other medical institutions. Annual medical examination and prophylactic measures cover 5.9 million women. More than 243,000 pregnant women living in rural districts regularly get multivitamin preparations free of charge. All
children without exception are immunized. The achievements in the health protection sphere have been duly appraised by the World Health Organization and UNISEF. Uzbekistan holds a worthy place among the ten leaders in the "Save the Children" rating. There are several higher medical educational institutions training doctors and nurses. They work in cooperation with leading clinics and research centers in other countries. The share of expenditures on health protection in the state budget comprises 15.7 percent and in the GDP - 4.1 percent. All medical aid in the republic is free.
Employment. Due to certain specific features of Uzbekistan, above all the demographic problems, the problem of employment continues to be one of the urgent ones. As a result of the implementation of territorial programs of employment about one million new jobs have been opened, 68 percent of which are in rural areas. Small businesses, private entrepreneurship and the creation of farms have also provided additional jobs.
Rights of minorities. A high official of the OSCE noted in March 2011 that Uzbekistan's relations with this organization were steadily developing in all directions, particularly, in parliamentary contacts, and the protection of human rights and law and order. He emphasized that special attention was devoted to ensuring interethnic accord. People of all nationalities and ethnic groups live in peace, irrespective of their language, confession or social origin. Their rights are guaranteed by law. Uzbekistan is cooperating with OSCE in such spheres as the strengthening of regional security and stability, development of institutions of civil society, expansion of international economic and humanitarian partnership, and ecology. Uzbekistan and OSCE exchange experience in the work of the legal system, especially in the protection of human rights and interests, as well as those of national minorities.
Life of the diaspora. A round-table devoted to the memory of the great poet, thinker and state and military leader of Uzbekistan Zahiriddin Muhammad Babur on the occasion of the 528th anniversary of his birth took place in Astrakhan, a city in the lower reaches of the Volga River, in February 2012. An evening devoted to the 570th anniversary of the birth of the great Uzbek poet, thinker and state figure Alisher Navoi was arranged in Moscow also in February 2012. Similar gathering on this occasion was held in Ankara organized by the Uzbek diaspora with the help of the General Consulate of Uzbekistan in Turkey. In August the Uzbek diaspora in New York opened a mosque in Brooklyn. Sacred texts are read in the Uzbek and Russian languages because there are many people from various countries and regions of the former Soviet Union among the mosque congregation. There are plans to open another mosque attached to this one.
Religion. By December 31, 2011, there were 2,225 religious organizations registered in Uzbekistan 92 percent of which are Muslim of Sunni trend. Shi'ites comprise not more than one percent of Uzbek Muslims. There are 175 religious organizations representing confessional minorities, 58 of which are Christian, the Korean Protestant Church - 52, the Russian Orthodox Church - 37, Baptists -23, the Roman Catholic Church - 5, the Lutheran Church - 2, the Armenian Apostolic Church - 2. Apart from that, there are eight Judaic organizations, one Buddhist temple, etc.
Fight against extremism. A whole arsenal of extremist literature of the "Hizb ut-Tahrir" party was found in March of 2012 in a Samarkand mosque. In the course of a military operation a group of Uzbek militant fighters trying to cross the border with Afghanistan was destroyed. It was commanded by one of the military leaders of the Islamic movement IDU of Uzbekistan.
The mass media. There are 1,243 units of the mass media in the country: 704 newspapers, 254 magazines, 165 Internet sites, 63 TV stations, 36 radio stations, and four information agencies. Forty-three percent of printed publications, 53 percent of TV channels and 85 percent of radio channels belong to the non-governmental sector.
The number of people using the Internet reaches 7.7 million.
"Etnopolititicheskaya situatsiya v Rossii i sopredelnykh gosudarstvakh v 2011 godu," Moscow, 2012, pp. 595-603.
Jawed Zafar,
Political analyst (Afghanistan) (Original article written by the author in English) GEOPOLITICS OF U.S. WALKING OUT FROM AFGHANISTAN
After 13 (15 in 2014 at the time of departure) years of unsuccessful war, U.S. withdrawal may cause a major political, security and strategic vacuum in Afghanistan, which may not only further deteriorate the situation in the country, but also cause many problems in neighboring and regional states. These states have their own political, economic and security interests and objectives in Afghanistan. Therefore these states will try to influence Afghanistan in many ways after the departure of the U.S. Therefore the interests, role and strategy of Pakistan, India, Russia, Iran, China and Turkey has been analyzed in detail in this paper. This paper also discusses different partnerships which emerge in Afghanistan after the exit of the U.S. and the allied forces.
As the date of U.S. exit from Afghanistan is coming nearer, doubt and perplexity are also rising because none is ready to believe that the U.S. will leave Afghanistan without achieving the declared and
