One Turkmenistan Nightmare Ends…
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Economy, Money, The World
But will another soon begin?
If you haven’t heard already, Saparmurat Niyazov, the leader of the incredibly oppressive regime that has ruled Turkmenistan, has died…even though he said he was going to live forever.
Here’s more about how crazy Niyazov was…from the BBC:
Mr Niyazov became Communist Party chief of what was then a Soviet republic in 1985 and was elected first president of independent Turkmenistan in 1991.In 1999, he was made president-for-life by the country’s rubber-stamp parliament.
During his reign, Mr Niyazov established a cult of personality in which he was styled as Turkmenbashi, or Leader of all Turkmens. [...] He renamed months and days in the calendar after himself and his family, and ordered statues of himself to be erected throughout the desert nation. [...] Cities, an airport and a meteorite were given his name.
Mr Niyazov was intolerant of criticism and allowed no political opposition or free media in the nation of five million people. [...] His laws became increasingly personal. It was forbidden to listen to car radios or smoke in public, or for young men to wear beards.
An alleged assassination attempt in 2002 was used to crush his few remaining opponents. [...] All candidates in the December 2004 parliamentary elections, at which there were no foreign observers, were his supporters.
And now…what’s going to happen?
Many in the region fear it is less the bizarre style of his rule and more the lack of political institutions that could prove to be the real legacy of Mr Niyazov, says the BBC’s Natalia Antelava in Almaty, Kazakhstan.Education, healthcare and society generally are regarded as having crumbled under his rule.
“President Niyazov was in effect the state and what he decreed on any subject, from politics, to culture to science, was absolute law,” says Michael Hall, Central Asia project director for the International Crisis Group.
A mostly Muslim nation, Turkmenistan boasts the world’s fifth largest natural gas reserves as well as substantial oil resources.
Lots of gas? Lots of oil?
Ohhhhh, there will be blood…
This entry was posted on Thursday, December 21st, 2006 and is filed under Economy, Money, The World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
December 21st, 2006 at 12:09 pm
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December 21st, 2006 at 11:40 pm
[...] If you haven t heard already, Saparmurat Niyazov, the leader of the incredibly oppressive regime that has ruled Turkmenistan, has died even though he said he was going to live forever. Here s more about how crazy Niyazov was from the … – more – [...]
December 22nd, 2006 at 11:40 pm
[...] If you haven t heard already, Saparmurat Niyazov, the leader of the incredibly oppressive regime that has ruled Turkmenistan, has died even though he said he was going to live forever. Here s more about how crazy Niyazov was from the … – more – [...]
December 28th, 2006 at 7:37 am
[...] If you haven t heard already, Saparmurat Niyazov, the leader of the incredibly oppressive regime that has ruled Turkmenistan, has died even though he said he was going to live forever. Here s more about how crazy Niyazov was from the … – more – [...]
January 3rd, 2007 at 7:43 am
[...] January 3, 2007 at 7:38 am · Filed under Turkmenistan Deputy PM to lead Turkmenistan Saparmurat Niyazov, the country’s long-term leader, died on heart failure aged 66. Turkmenistan's President-for-Life is no longer Turkmenistan's … MOSCOW — Saparmurat Niyazov, the authoritarian president of Turkmenistan, died unexpectedly today, … Saparmurat Niyazov, Turkmenistan’s president who died Thursday, … They stuck out their palms as Turkmenistan’s president-for-life, … Acting President of Turkmenistan Asks Nation to Let Children Enjoy … Acting President of Turkmenistan Asks Nation to Let Children Enjoy Holidays Ashgabat, 29 December 2006 (nCa) — Twin holidays of Eid al Adha Kurban Bairam and. Re: Whither Turkmenistan The death of Turkmenistan#39;s dictator Saparmurat Niyazov is an event of some strategic significance.nbsp; With the world#39;s fifth-largest gas rese… . . . Boucher to the Press in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan ASSISTANT SECRETARY BOUCHER: First of all let me say that I — this is my first visit to Turkmenistan, although it’sa different occasion than I imagined. So I thought it was worthwhile sitting down with a few of you and explaining where … Turkmenistan’s cult leader-president dies. Future of country unclear. Saparmurat Niyazov, the wild and often wacky president of Turkmenistan has died suddenly, apparently of a heart attack. He was 66. Niyazov,who preferred to be known as “Turkmenbashi”… Weak Constitution Kommersant writes about a letter appearing in Monday’s edition of Neutralniy Turkmenistan (which can be downloaded here for Russian speakers), written by an admiring correspondent urging Berdymuhammedov to pursue Niyazov’s legacy. … US will have to cast a wary eye on Turkmenistan NEW YORK - Chances are that you heard more about Rosie ODonnells flame war with Donald Trump than the passing of Sapamurat Turkmenbashi Niyazov. As seems. Did the West Aid Niyazov's Destruction of Turkmenistan? Will it be … Niyazov was the dictatorial leader of Turkmenistan for more than 20 years, maintaining his … When I was working as the World Bank country director for Central Asia from 2001-2006, my wife and I visited Turkmenistan a half dozen times. … One Turkmenistan Nightmare Ends… If you haven’t heard already, Saparmurat Niyazov, the leader of the incredibly oppressive regime that has ruled Turkmenistan, has died…even though he said he was going to live forever. Here’s more about how crazy Niyazov was…from the … A New Beginning For Turkmenistan - Washington Post Eurasia Daily MonitorA New Beginning For TurkmenistanWashington Post, United States - 10 hours agoBy Nurmuhammet Hanamov. Last week Turkmenistan buried its brutal dictator, Saparmurad Niyazov. His ruthless reign spanned two decades … TURKMENISTAN TILTS TOWARD RUSSIA Eurasia Daily MonitorNEUTRAL TURKMENISTAN PRESENTS SECURITY DILEMMA IN THE CASPIAN Eurasia Daily Monitorall 3 news articles Turkmenistan's presidential candidates pldge fealty to Niyazov's … - International Herald Tribune Turkmenistan's presidential candidates pldge fealty to Niyazov's …International Herald Tribune, France - Jan 1, 2007ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan: All six candidates in Turkmenistan's presidential election pledged in statements published Monday to diligently follow the policies of … Turkmenistan's presidential candidates pledge loyalty to late … San Diego Union TribuneTurkmenistan's Presidential Candidates Pledge Fealty To Niyazov's … RadioFreeEurope/RadioLibertyall 4 news articles U.S. passes up chance to strike Taliban - South and Central Asia … U.S. passes up chance to strike Taliban Predator had suspected fighters in its sights, but … Turkmenistan’s interim leader crowned as heir • … Caviar export quotas set for five Caspian nations – CITES (Itar-Tass) GENEVA, January 2 (Itar-Tass) — Caviar export quotas have been set for five Caspian countries – Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan – for this year. CITES report says caviar exports are 15 percent less than 2005 (The Daily Star Lebannon) Due to an agreed reduction of 20 percent by the governments of zerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation and Turkmenistan their quotas of caviar exports are 15 percent lower than for 2005, the last year for which quotas were published.Quotas for caviar exports from Persian and stellate sturgeon have been reduced by over 25 percent, while quotas for caviar from Russian sturgeon have … Turkmenistan - Turkmenistan - Turkmenistan is a middle-income country with a gross national income per capita of about $1,700 in 2005, according to the estimates of international financial organizations. Air Battle Force (Brown, Dale) Amazon Price: $19.72 Used Price: $0.01 I’ve read every Dale Brown book published. This is not the same old Dale Brown we are used to. Hope it gets better from here, or I am done. Tribal Nation: The Making of Soviet Turkmenistan Amazon Price: $19.95 Used Price: $19.00 This book was decent for what it was. The author explores how the Soviets created Turkmenistan back in the 1920s and 1930s, and she did a great deal of research and used many good sources. However, I was hoping for more. She basically talks about this creation occuring in the 1920s and 1930s throughout the entirety of a not-very-lengthy book, and then has one 5 page chapter where she suddenly fast-forwards up to present day. I found this very disappointing, since it would’ve been interesting to know what happened between then and now, especially considering the fact that a second world war occurred, the cold war occured, and the USSR collapsed between then and now. I would imagine at least some of that had an effect on the creation and continued building of Turkmenistan as a country. Turkmen-English/English-Turkmen Dictionary & Phrasebook (Hippocrene Dictionary & Phrasebooks) Amazon Price: $10.16 Used Price: $9.38 Welcome to Turkmenistan Information Center Turkmenistan is important to world energy markets because it contains the world’s third largest reserves of natural gas, with estimates of the country’s total gas … [...]
January 18th, 2007 at 7:40 am
[...] If you haven t heard already, Saparmurat Niyazov, the leader of the incredibly oppressive regime that has ruled Turkmenistan, has died even though he said he was going to live forever. Here s more about how crazy Niyazov was from the … – more – [...]
January 22nd, 2007 at 7:55 am
[...] If you haven t heard already, Saparmurat Niyazov, the leader of the incredibly oppressive regime that has ruled Turkmenistan, has died even though he said he was going to live forever. Here s more about how crazy Niyazov was from the … – more – [...]
February 3rd, 2007 at 7:42 am
[...] , has died even though he said he was going to live forever. Here s more about how crazy Niyazov was from the … – more – [...]
March 12th, 2007 at 3:47 am
Turkmenistan being as oil rich as it is should really be able to get it’s act together, but with the likes of Niyazov and his followers I doubt if this will ever happen?