Not known as a man whose conscience unduly troubles him when it comes to the plight of his fellow Turkmen, President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedow has instead turned his attention to neighbouring Afghanistan in what appears to be an unprecedented act by the former dentist of humanitarian assistance to an outside nation. Turkmenistan has firmly established itself…
Turkmenistan: Berdymukhamedow to celebrate independence – from which few have benefited more than he
All appearances would suggest that Turkmenistan president Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedow continues to refuse to allow trifling humanitarian issues within the former Soviet republic of Central Asia to distract his focus from the real issues at hand. Kismet has decreed that Turkmenistan sits atop untold Hydrocarbon wealth which many of its 'stan' neighbours can only dream. And…
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: A totalitarian ‘paradise’ of forced holidays and disappearing people
The timing of a demand made of many of Turkmenistan's state workers situated in the Dashoguz region to take their vacations in the Caspian Sea resort of Awaza, the site of one of President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedow's many high-profile, exorbitantly costly and ultimately futile pet projects, could hardly have been worse. Faced with the bizarre ultimatum…
Will Turkmenistan’s proposed desert city be just a mirage?
Turkmenistan's Ashgabat-City project, provisionally sited to the north of the country's capital city will, if it ever comes to fruition, be in effect a 'Greater Ashgabat' initially designed to be autonomous from the most marbled metropolis on earth. But in light of conjecture surrounding the actual population of the former Soviet republic, just who will…
Turkmenistan: Promoting the President’s Son to State Governor another step towards dynastic hegemony
Nobody really knows if Serdar Berdymukhamedow has the makings of a statesman, or indeed if he has ever demonstrated the requisite qualities. For anyone promoted to Provincial Governor within his or her homeland one would presume they already possess the necessary acumen and temperament for such a role but this is Turkmenistan, where nepotism and…
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: The Hypocrisy of Food Shortages and Presidential Excess
In the world and mindset of a confirmed, unabashed dictator normal rules have long since gone out of the window, assuming of course that they ever applied in the first place. Only in a country whose throat is being kept under the boot of its protector, and predestined guide, can food shortages directly contributing to…
Turkmenistan: Will the European Union take to the floor to dance with the devil?
Not content with treating his own citizens with contempt Turkmenistan president Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedow now appears to have the European Union (EU) on a string, if reports of an upgrade from its current liaison office to a permanent mission in the nation's capital Ashgabat are to be believed. Quite what the EU want with and in…
Alpine Adventures, Soccer, Central Asian Autocracies & Secessionist Politics 