Thursday, July 15, 2004

Signs of Revolution?

Someone in Turkmenistan's capital of Ashgabat has taken their life into their hands by distributing leaflets in the marketplace calling for the overthrow of Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov.  I can't find anything on whether these leaflets are what led to this.  One exiled opposition leader attributed this to the destruction of some homes in the suburb of Keshi.  The leaflets state that it is time for the people to take their destiny into their own hands, and also call upon Muslims to avoid the new mosque Niyazov is building that includes inscriptions from his spiritual book the Rukhname.  Whatever the motive, Turkmenistan clearly has a serious revolutionary undercurrent.  Because Niyazov has shown signs of increasing insanity with his attempts to develop what is essentially a new religion, orders to build an ice palace, and fears that President Bush plans to wage a campaign against despotism in the region, he may lose his grip enough that these forces can come to the fore sooner rather than later.

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