Turkmenistan: Ashgabat Caught Between U.S.-Russian Power Plays

Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimukhammedov met Sept. 22 with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during the U.N. General Assembly. Clinton expressed the U.S. aspiration to help Turkmenistan build up the country's energy resources, an offer that was quickly dismissed by Berdimukhammedov. Turkmenistan is still under Russia's influence, despite its attempts to secure China and Iran as alternative energy export destinations after Russia cut off all natural gas imports from Turkmenistan. More recently, Turkmenistan's position has propelled it into the midst of ongoing power plays at a critical time.