The World’s Other North Korea
The countries that have emerged out of the former communist world are an utter tapestry of results. Poland and the Baltic states are an economic success story that has almost fully integrated with western European politics. Ukraine has struggled - and continues to struggle - with a departure from Russian influence. Belarus, on the other hand, has gone so far as to form a union government with Moscow and responded with force to protests that contested the country’s election in late 2020. Moving towards Central Asia, this situation was (more so in outcome than in origin) not too different from when Russia sent troops to Kazakhstan to suppress riots there in late 2021. Lastly, Kyrgyzstan usually ranks somewhere just below the global average for democracy scores - which may explain why there seems to be a state of constant revolts there.
Turkmenbashy's statue towers over the capital city of Ashgabat. Source: Flickr
But there’s one country existing in a truly strange state of affairs that almost has to be seen to be believed.
There’s a very high chance you’ve never been to Turkmenistan (please reach out to me if you have). As a British citizen, simply acquiring a visa takes a minimum of two months, and requires a letter of invitation, registration with the State Migration Service in the capital city of Ashgabat, and paying a tourism tax of USD $14 upfront (plus $2 per day). All of which is probably the least unusual aspect of Turkmenistan itself.
On a German list of countries ranked by democratic values, Turkmenistan scores 164th out of 176 countries - placing it below Venezuela, Cuba, Libya, Belarus, and Iran. It occupies a space only 11 ranks higher than North Korea but, much like North Korea, is governed by a cult figure holding a god-like status in the national myth. Turkmenbashi - whose name was Saparmurat Niyazov - is so openly revered in Turkmenistan that a golden statue of him was built, and rotates to constantly face the sun. It’s not Ashgabat’s only monument either - other city landmarks include another gold statue of the current president atop a horse, the world’s largest indoor Ferris wheel, and even a statue of the book that serves as the national constitution and writings of Turkmenbashi. Ashgabat boasts 543 buildings made of solid marble (the highest concentration in the world), cars are mandated to be white in colour, and dogs are outright banned from the city. Outside of Ashgabat is the Darvaza gas crater, a perpetually-burning pit produced by a Soviet mining accident that leaks natural gas - the country’s main export.
The Darvaza gas crater has been burning for over fifty years. Source: Smithsonian Magazine
You probably won’t be surprised, then, to hear that that the human rights situation in Turkmenistan is dire. Authorities tightly control the spread of information, women and girls face considerable discrimination (even in the form of a dress code to “preserve national heritage”), and even the smallest of protests have led to civil detention. An extensive list of human rights abuses from Turkmenistan is also available on the US State Department’s website.
Interested in visiting? Book a trip to Turkmenistan today!
TAI Score: Degree 2. Turkmenistan’s lack of democratic values or civil liberties is certainly cause for concern. While the country rarely - if ever - projects power beyond its borders, issues with drug and human trafficking, as well as financial crimes, make the country rife with business risk. Normalised relations with most countries allow for state-to-state engagement, but the opacity of politics in Turkmenistan make the approach difficult beyond the surface level for most countries.
