For most expats, Turkmenistan or for the purposes of this exercise its capital Ashgabat, would not rank highly on a list of locations they expect to find themselves. The hydrocarbons sector is heavily underpinned by foreign nationals brought in by countries sitting on a wealth of gas and oil, and accounts for a significant proportion…
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 presidential portrait of modern-day narcissism wrapped in despotism
In 2004 the Harvard Business Review called it right. Their take on narcissists concluded that the vainglorious are "unproductive when, lacking self-knowledge and restraining anchors, they become unrealistic dreamers. They nurture grand schemes and harbour the illusion that only circumstances, or enemies block their success". Does all this sound terribly familiar, even in the modern…
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…
Slight of Hand and Cardboard Facades fool few in Berdymukhamedow’s Turkmenistan
It is unclear how Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedow has concluded that his country is now a net producer of wheat whilst many of his citizens are forced to queue for basic foodstuffs. Does this then mean that Turkmenistan is exporting wheat, and perhaps other comestible component parts to neighbouring or otherwise unnamed nations for a…
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…
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…
Alpine Adventures, Soccer, Central Asian Autocracies & Secessionist Politics 