Friendship with the US could also give the stamp of approval to his domestic policies.

Tashkent dilemmas

His police have arrested thousands of young men, mainly the poor and the desperate, in the last few years on the grounds that they are religious extremists - in other words, possible challengers to the status quo.

Yet Mr Rumsfeld's visit also shows up the dilemmas facing Tashkent.

Too loud an appreciation of the United States could create problems for Mr Karimov at home, while some people privately admire the Taleban way of doing things as an alternative to the repression and injustice they feel is their lot at present.

Looking regionally, Mr Karimov could be taking a risk if he becomes the only central Asian leader to support an attack on a neighbouring state.

Mr Karimov has set explicit provisos on any Uzbek assistance to Washington, including that the United Nations must in future guarantee the safety of Uzbek borders.