TURKMENISTAN: NEUTRALITY IN AN UNNEUTRAL WORLD.

After the collapse of the Soviet Republic, a little heard of country in Central Asia with a population of just 5 million people defied all expectations to become a global leader for Peace. Against all odds, this nation managed to achieve their goal in a very short time. On December 12, 1995, the UN General Assembly ratified the resolution for permanent neutrality of Turkmenistan, with "the hope that the status of permanent neutrality will contribute to the strengthening of peace and security in the region." The atmosphere at that time was one of optimism, the belief that Turkmenistan would pave the way for the development of a stable Turkmen state at a time when the region was in chaos. In his first address to the UN General Assembly, the late President of Turkmenistan, H. E. Mr. Saparmurat Niyazov quoted the words of Magtymugly, an 18th century Turkmen philosopher to underscore the vision of a new Turkmenistan, one of peace and neutrality.

There is no need for words of irritation or spite; my nation does not accept any spite.

"Turkmenistan does not participate in war blocs and alliances... commits itself not to start conflicts nor participate in them...not own, produce or distribute nuclear or chemical weapons" and pursue an open, diplomatic foreign policy as a secular state. What followed in the subsequent years was a quest of this new nation to have its permanent neutrality be recognized globally and remain committed to the peaceful ideals of its constitution. In the 25 years since the passing of the resolution, the world and - by extension - Central Asia, has changed drastically.

Gone are the imaginations of Post-Soviet poverty - Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan is a shining city of white marble, and Turkmenistan's place in development statistics such as HDI and GNI is consistently rising. All of this is incredibly impressive, especially considering that the last Turkmen state existed 8 centuries ago, and that the current Republic of Turkmenistan has been independent for only 30 years. How has Turkmenistan managed to achieve internal stability and develop steadily, despite being the 4th largest reserve of natural gas, when so many states with similar resource abundance - Iran, Venezuela, and even the US - are in active decline? To answer this question, we need to look no further than at the success of Turkmenistan's Permanent Neutrality policy.

At a time where elsewhere, politics and culture is becoming increasingly polarized...