Help Wanted: Qualified Candidate To Promote Democracy in Uzbekistan

If U.S. efforts to promote democracy in Iraq are hitting a snag, there's always Uzbekistan.

The U.S. Agency for International Development has been looking for a "Development Assistance Specialist" who, for a salary of up to $88,000 a year, would spend two years in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent managing initiatives "in the areas of Peace and Security and Governing Justly and Democratically," according to a U.S. government posting last month.

In the State Department's most recent human rights report, Uzbekistan, a nation of about 27 million people, was described as "an authoritarian state" where President Islam Karimov has ignored his country's constitution and "exercised nearly complete control over the other branches" of government.

Uzbekistan's human rights record "continued to worsen during the year," the State Department said in 2006. "Citizens did not have the right in practice to change their government through peaceful and democratic means. Security forces routinely tortured, beat, and otherwise mistreated detainees under interrogation to obtain confessions or incriminating information. In several cases, authorities subjected human-rights activists and other critics of the regime to forced psychiatric treatment."

Despite that record, USAID describes Uzbekistan and neighboring Central Asian republics as "of considerable geopolitical and strategic interest to the United States" because of their "substantial oil and gas reserves."

Therefore, the person USAID is seeking to recruit "must be able to think and operate strategically and programmatically, analyze complex situations . . . and assess the impact of host country policies and practices on USAID program," according to the notice.

He or she may spend up to one-third of the time traveling throughout Uzbekistan, monitoring grants, collecting data, evaluating projects and conducting political analyses.

Within USAID's country office in Tashkent, which has four additional U.S. employees headed by a country representative, the new specialist would be a member of the "senior management team." That person "may provide technical expertise and management assistance to the Country Representative as necessary." In fact, he or she "may serve as the acting Country Representative when the Country Representative is absent."

In that capacity, this person could serve on "U.S. Embassy and other interagency committees" and "represent USAID in donor and other meetings."

He or she would also be expected to cultivate contacts and have dialogue with local counterparts, including nongovernmental organizations. However, that person "will have no independent authority to commit U.S. Government mission funds on behalf of USAID."

After the 2001 terrorist attacks, the United States established a military base in Uzbekistan, using it as a hub for military and humanitarian shipments to Afghanistan. However, just as negotiations were underway for a long-term base agreement in 2005, Karimov retaliated against Washington's support of an international inquiry into Karimov's handling of an internal uprising. U.S. forces were given six months to leave, and use of the base ended in November 2005.

Nevertheless, USAID's programs in Uzbekistan this year totaled $13.1 million, with more than 40 percent of that devoted to initiatives on "Governing Justly and Democratically." Eastern Kentucky University will assist with efforts to improve the protection of human rights, while the Washington-based National Democratic Institute will work on programs devoted to strengthening civil society. With a presidential election scheduled in Uzbekistan next month, such efforts could face an interesting test: In the country's previous presidential vote, in 2000, Karimov won nearly 92 percent of the vote -- an election that Human Rights Watch referred to as "embarrassingly illegitimate."

Given the tasks and responsibilities, the person being sought must possess or be able to obtain a secret security clearance, be fluent in English, have a "comprehensive working knowledge of social and political issues in Central Asia" and a "working knowledge of Russian and/or Uzbek." Selection of the lucky winner is expected no later than Nov. 20, with the individual expected to reach Tashkent by January.

National security and intelligence reporter Walter Pincus pores over the speeches, reports, transcripts and other documents that flood Washington and every week uncovers the fine print that rarely makes headlines -- but should. If you have any items that fit the bill, please send them tofineprint@washpost.com.