· December, 2006

Stories about Turkmenistan from December, 2006

Turkmenistan: Transition

  27 December 2006

Sean Roberts says that there is still quite a bit of uncertainty in the post-Turkmenbashi transition in Turkmenistan.

Turkmenistan: Weak Constitution

  27 December 2006

At neweurasia, Peter reports on constitutional amendments in Turkmenistan that both pave the way for acting President Berdymuhammedov to continue in the role and sweep aside any hope that Turkmenbashi's death would usher in openness and democracy.

Turkmenistan: Dust to Dust

  26 December 2006

Peter continues to analyze events in post-Turkmenbashi Turkmenistan. In a recent post, he writes on the burial of the despot and signs of continuity in the new leadership.

Turkmenbashi's Death: Bloggers’ Reactions

  22 December 2006

“The Pres” by Flickr user blogjam Turkmenistan's authoritarian and, to put it lightly, eccentric President Sapurmurad Niyazov died suddenly of a heart attack in the early hours of December 21st. Niyazov renamed himself Turkmenbashi, the Father of the Turkmen, penned a spiritual work called the Ruhnama, which became required reading...

Central Asia: Environment

  13 December 2006

KZBlog looks at several environmental issues in Central Asia, ranging from the decline of the Aral Sea to gas burning in the oil-rich Caspian region.

Turkmenistan: Fair Play

  13 December 2006

Peter reports, along with pictures, that Turkmen President Niyazov has officially inaugurated a theme park named after himself.

Central Asia: Clanism

  13 December 2006

Sean Roberts posts the transcript of his recent speech on clan politics in Central Asia, and James adds his two cents.

Turkmenistan: Reality Czech

  4 December 2006

Peter explains how the grounding of a Czech military plane carrying the country's army chief of staff and deputy defense minister by Turkmen authorities is a bad sign for regional stability and military cooperation.