Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
Just weeks after the death of its megalomaniac leader, Saparmurat Niyazov, Turkmenistan is opening itself up to the outside world. The new president, Gurbankuly Berdymuhammedov, announced the debut this week of two Internet cafes, each with five computers. Under Niyazov, who led the former Soviet republic for its 16 years of independence, Turkmenistan was a rigidly closed society. Foreign languages were not taught, and school curriculums centered on the writings of Niyazov himself. Berdymuhammedov, a longtime aide of Niyazov elected last month in a blatantly rigged vote, has promised to reform education and relax control of the media. “Soon, each public school will have Web access,” he said.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The ‘ravenous’ demand for Cornish mineralsUnder the Radar Growing need for critical minerals to power tech has intensified ‘appetite’ for lithium, which could be a ‘huge boon’ for local economy
-
Why are election experts taking Trump’s midterm threats seriously?IN THE SPOTLIGHT As the president muses about polling place deployments and a centralized electoral system aimed at one-party control, lawmakers are taking this administration at its word
-
‘Restaurateurs have become millionaires’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
