Will Uzbekistan become an out-post of secular civilization in the confrontation of the West and Europe with Muslim fundamentalism? What would be the reaction of its neighbors to Uzbekistan"s taking the position of economic and political leader in the region? What policy should the president of Uzbekistan, Karimov, undertake to reach this goal? This monograph seeks answers to these questions in the political history and current situation of the young state of Uzbekistan. Leonid Levitin (b. 1931), professor of jurisprudence, is an expert in the countries of post-soviet Central Asia. Since 1994 he has lived in Germany.