Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev got a personal meeting with President Trump in front of the cameras. The Uzbek President later had a roundtable meeting with top US companies and financial institutions for further investments and joint projects. According to various reports bilateral trade has quadrupled since Mirziyoyev took over, with 300 US companies participating thus far. This column, as readers know, has repeatedly dwelt on the strategic importance of Central Asia and the ‘Stans. Direct trade with the West also means a political model for the region potentially more enlightened and relaxed than its neighbors.