In a rare discussion of Central Asia policy on Capitol Hill, a senior legislator told VOA that the United States needs to look past the abysmal human rights records of the countries in the region to confront terrorism and Russian and Chinese influence.
“If we want their help somehow, we need to be able to help them,” Representative Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said in a one-on-one interview.
The 27-year House lawmaker was part of the most recent congressional delegation to visit Uzbekistan, along with Armed Services Committee Chair Mike Rogers, Salud Carbajal and Veronica Escobar.
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