Uzbekistan’s authoritarian President, Islam Karimov, suffered a massive stroke last week, according to government sources. His status is unknown, but many speculate that he may be dead. 

Karimov’s fate puts the country’s succession plan in turmoil. Karimov’s daughter, Gulnara Karimova, was in line to assume power, but she was put under house arrest two years ago, when she fell out of her father’s favor. 

We talk about Uzbekistan’s future with Central Asia specialist Russell Zanca, professor of Cultural Anthropology at Northeastern Illinois University.