Do a brief search and find out what you can about Uzbekistan. "Why?!" you ask?
Uzbekistan was a key city along the route of the Silk Road. Samarkand is an ancient and exotic city. At one time the city was very wealthy, and it was a center of new ideas and sharing of knowledge and goods from different regions. Now it has declined into a dictatorship with an economy modeled on growing a crop (cotton) that is depleting the environment at a palpable and visible rate. We have heard stories of different civilizations that faded or disappeared over time, and historians have speculated that inability of the environment to sustain people is what caused the civilization to collapse. After you read about Uzbekistan's history, the cultural treasures it hides, please post your thoughts on what could be done to halt or reverse the devastation facing this region.