Assassination Attempt One Year Ago Altered International Perception of Turkmenistan
A commentary for the Turkmenistan Project by Erika Dailey
On Monday, November 25, 2002, the president of Turkmenistan, Saparmurat Niyazov, announced on evening television that assailants had fired on his motorcade that morning in an attempt to overthrow him. Whether or not that is true, the reported gunshots shattered the image of this impoverished but gas-rich Central Asian autocracy as "stable" and helped bring this closed Turkmenistan out of its obscurity into open notoriety.

Turkmens Get Rare Look At Relations With US -- From Both Sides
Bruce Pannier
Turkmen state television recently presented segments of an interview the president previously gave to a US television network. About the same time, RFE/RL’s Turkmen Service aired a radio interview with the new US ambassador to Turkmenistan. The two interviews offered Turkmens a rare opportunity to see how differently the Turkmen and US governments view some key issues in Turkmenistan, including human rights.
A EurasiaNet Partner Post from RFE/RL

A Watershed Event for Turkmenistan’s Political Opposition
A commentary for the Turkmenistan Project by Vitalii Ponomarev

Civil Society Reels After "Blow" Against Niyazov
A commentary for the Turkmenistan Project by Vakil Saparov

Turkmenistan’s Crackdown: A View from Jail
A commentary for the Turkmenistan Project by Farid Tuhbatulin

Turkmenistan’s Place in the Global Community
A commentary for the Turkmenistan Project by Martha Brill Olcott

Turkmenistan: The More Things Change...
A commentary for the Turkmenistan Project by Arkady Dubnov

These commentaries are part of a series examining developments in Turkmenistan in the year since the November 25, 2002 assassination attempt against President Saparmurat Niyazov.