Harsh words from some folks in the know about U.S. foreign policy in Central Asia.
Evan A. Feigenbaum, a director at the Eurasia Group and ex-State Department staffer, is not mincing words when he says:
To date, and in nearly every respect, the United States has failed to achieve its initial, ambitious, strategic objectives in Central Asia.”
Feigenbaum is touting “Strengthening Fragile Partnerships: An Agenda for the Future of US-Central Asia Relations,” a report by the Central Asia Study Group, chaired by former Deputy Secretary of State, Richard Armitage at the Project 2049 Institute.
One issue the group picks up with gusto is the notable four-year absence of a U.S. ambassador in Turkmenistan, the gas-rich desert state with long borders with Iran and Afghanistan. It might not be the most desirable diplomatic destination on the map, but there’s no denying that it’s a strategic post.
According to the report, the case of the missing ambassador is a hindrance to meaningful engagement with Turkmenistan.
The US can hardly pursue its interests in Ashgabat or elsewhere if it lacks a Senate-confirmed diplomatic representative on the ground to promote those interests. This is without precedent in any country with which the US has not had an underlying policy dispute.
Currently, the U.S.is represented in Turkmenistan by Charge d’Affaires, a.i. Ambassador Eileen A. Malloy.
One seasoned Turkmen watcher suggests that the whole process of putting an ambassador in place could invite unwanted scrutiny of U.S.-Turkmen relations. At Senate hearings people get to do things like ask questions.
And that might be awkward.
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