Britannia Radio

A New Great Game In Turkmenistan

No country has risen to prominence with greater rapidity and less fanfare in recent years than Turkmenistan. Once Central Asia's most isolated backwater, the former Soviet satellite, host to enormous oil and gas riches and perhaps the region's most critical strategic perch, has redefined itself as the centerpiece of a new regional order, having become the most critical prize in a new "great game."

While the Afghanistan/Pakistan theater dominates headlines, Turkmenistan has quietly emerged over the past two years as a major priority for both the United States and European Union governments. Just a few years ago, such a statement ...