One of ours?

Googoosha is an Uzbek pop star. Nothing extraordinary with that, perhaps, except that…well, Googoosha's real name is Gulnara Karimova.

If that doesn't ring a bell, Ms Karimova is the daughter of the recently diseased Islam Karimov, the president (and virtual dictator) of Uzbekistan! She's also one of the richest persons in this ex-Soviet republic in Central Asia. Or was, since she is rumored to be in house arrest after a fall out with her father. Despite its authoritarian regime, or perhaps because of it, Uzbekistan seems to enjoy good relations with both the US and Russia, due to Karimov's strong stance against Muslim fundamentalism. Uzbekistan was important as a NATO staging area during the war in Afghanistan against the Taliban. We sure have some original allies along the Silk Road…

Although I don't like Googoosha's particular style of music, I admit that it's better than I expected. The video clips are available free on the web. And yes, the great star is wearing fashion and jewelry of her own brand. This could work in the Eurovision Song Contest, in the unlikely event that Uzbekistan is ever admitted to the European Broadcasting Union (which despite its name does include some nations technically situated on the Asian side of Mare Nostrum and the Black Sea). A Euro-song event in Samarkand might be interesting but, alas, I think the organizers of the contest are tired of the ex-Soviet theatre after Kiev, Moscow and Baku…

Besides, we don't want *everyone* to know that these guys are really on our side in the clash of civilizations, do we now?