It is not hard to imagine the reaction of Turkmenistan's and North Korea's presidents following the recent round of chastening defeats suffered by both nations at the Asian Cup, the geographical equivalent of football's European Championships. Despite an absence in either country of authentic soccer pedigree both sets of players will genuinely fear of the…
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…
The root of modern day megalomania stems from a simpler, less materialistic age
There are obvious comparisons to be made between Adolf Hitler's unrealized vision of building Germania, the architectural prize the Fuehrer wished to bestow upon himself and the nation once victory in the Second World War had been secured, and the megalomania displayed by Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedow that has seen the fruits of his skewed priorities represented…
Turkmenistan: Can Berdymukhamedow get what he came for from US visit?
It is as of yet unclear if recent US policy prohibiting the acquisition of Turkmenistan cotton has taken effect, or if it amounts to little more than lip service without actual implementation. Nevertheless, for the central Asian republic such publicity regarding its vital cash crop can only be bad, highlighting in the strongest terms the…
Turkmenistan: President Berdymukhamedow Raps while his Countrymen Sing for their Suppers
Fiddling while Rome burns has always been the preserve of emperor Nero, although the idiom that in effect describes a focus on the trivial while issues of greater importance are left unattended has been adopted on countless occasions by those, in modern parlance, who seek to control the controllables, rather than address the more pertinent…
Alpine Adventures, Soccer, Central Asian Autocracies & Secessionist Politics 