The cliched image of a 'fat cop' more au fait with bribery and corruption than a consistent and just delivery of the rule of law is synonymous with countries whose regimes provide the inspiration for their police force, both in terms of an amoral modus operandi and in physical appearance that can often mirror the…
Andrew: A Prince among Despots as Turkmenistan gives new meaning to a cashless society
A shortage of hard currency in Turkmenistan is hardly a new phenomenon, at least for the everyday man in the street. Queuing at cash machines(ATMs) is as commonplace a facet of everyday life in this former Soviet republic of Central Asia as the spin promulgated by President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedow's regime opining that all is otherwise…
Turkmenistan’s Hall of Mirrors image to be showcased at Dubai Expo 2020
While Turkmenistan continues to stagnate President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedow's policy of presenting a very different image to an increasingly sceptical world shows little sign of slowing. The reality of citizens queuing for basic foodstuffs, normally in areas away from the prying eyes of the few cameras and curious foreigners who get into the country hardly tallies…
Turkmenistan: President Berdymukhamedow’s flights of fancy receive foreign assistance
With a little help from their friends Turkmenistan Airlines are once more airborne, undoubtedly to the delight of President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedow's family. In an era of meticulous attention to safety detail it is indeed rare for an airline's jets to be hooked from European airspace, but February's barring of the Turkmen flag carrier from operating…
Foreign Governments continue to turn a blind eye to gas-rich Turkmenistan’s despotic regime
Turkmenistan's appalling record of human rights violations and its ranking at the very bottom of the World Press Freedom Index should see it internationally regarded as a pariah state, but a continued clamour from the European Union and western powers to do business within the Central Asian republic only serves to underplay the oppressive, police…
Turkmenistan: Berdymukhamedow fails to live up to self-styled benefactor of the nation image
I don't smoke or drink alcohol, although that isn't to say I haven't at one time or another or fail to understand the rationale behind why people do so to varying degrees. Nor, however, do I condone the excuses so often hidden behind, and used to justify, in particular with alcohol, levels of behaviour that…
Alpine Adventures, Soccer, Central Asian Autocracies & Secessionist Politics 