Our dear friend Volodiya is on a tour of Central Asia, visiting Uncle Nazzy and jaunting down to play with Stomatologbashi.
Putin has not selected those two countries by chance. They are the richest in natural resources among the Central Asian republics, and they are both exposed to increasing influence from the West and China…
Russia has long had a near monopoly on the consumption of Turkmen natural gas, and Fedorov says a more open style of leadership by Berdymukhammedov could threaten this secure position. According to Fedorov, the main question for the Kremlin is “whether the bulk of this gas will go to Russia, as it does now, or whether Turkmenistan will find some other export routes, such as the proposed [U.S.-supported] trans-Caspian gas pipeline.”
While Chevron has gained permission to explore Turkmenistan’s off-shore energy deposits, the U.S. seems completely apathetic as to what happens to the place. Turkmenistan offers the chance at a bold shift in strategy for a seemingly-directionless American policy in Central Asia (which is myopically concerned only with Afghanistan).
Turning Turkmenistan into a relatively open regional hub would be a very good thing, both for the West and for Turkmenistan. It is win-win, yet I don’t see anything on the part of the U.S., and Europe seems more preoccupied with Uzbekistan than its western neighbor. Which I guess leaves Mr. Putin and possibly Mr. Jintao as the ones vying for Turkmenistan’s ultimate alignment. We seem to have already ceded any stake in the matter.
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