In a measure of just how frightened Ashgabat is of the possibility that Afghan radical forces will invade Turkmenistan, it has reportedly allowed Russian and now Uzbekistani military personnel to provide help in fortifying its border and has appealed to the United States for military assistance as well. All this is a major departure from Turkmenistan’s constitutionally-mandated neutrality and its isolationist practice over the last two decades. And this development raises questions about what Russia may do next in Central Asia more generally.
Turkmenistan has been publicly reinforcing its border defenses in recent months (see EDM, February 26, 2014; March 13, …read more
Source: The Jamestown Foundation