Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan has never participated in UN peacekeeping operations. Turkmenistan main reason for not contributing troops is its internal political environment and its foreign policy of isolation. Turkmenistan has always follows a policy of neutrality in international affairs, as specified in the United Nations Resolution on Permanent Neutrality of Turkmenistan (UNGA 1996, par. 1). As a result, it not likely that Turkmenistan will provide troops to UN peace operations in the near future.

Initial variables of the data collection process:

UN/UN peacekeeping policy reform
The United Nations Resolution on Permanent Neutrality of Turkmenistan states that Turkmenistan will be neutral on any issues of international politics (Ibid.).

Perception of peacekeeping
No record.

Domestic political environment
Turkmenistan is still impoverished, and since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, Turkmenistan has remained largely closed to the outside world (BBC 2006bi, par. 2). It is effectively a one-party state (Ibid.). There are no independent media (Ibid.). And this limits the chances of increasing the knowledge about peace operations within the population. Turkmenistan is the most ethnically homogeneous of the Central Asian republics, the vast majority of its population consisting of Turkmens (Ibid.). There are also Uzbeks, Russians and smaller minorities of Kazakhs, Tatars, Ukrainians, Azerbaijanis and Armenians (Ibid.). In case of participating, Turkmenistan armed forces will be most likely formed of all those ethnic populations. In contrast to other former Soviet republics, it has been largely free of inter-ethnic hostilities (Ibid.). And this will definitively increase the changes of integration in the battalion, or type of troops deployed. However, “strong tribal allegiances can be a source of tension” (Ibid.).

Turkmenistan held a presidential election on February 2007, following the death from a heart attack of Saparmurad Niyazov on December 21 2006 (EIU 2006cr, 1). The new president will need to maintain the support of the political elite and confront the country's social and economic problems (Ibid.).

Domestic economic environment
With foreign investors keeping away, the Turkmen economy remains underdeveloped (BBC 2006bi, par. 4). Turkmenistan has been unable to benefit fully from its oil and gas deposits due to the absence of export routes and because of a dispute between the Caspian Sea littoral states over the legal status of the sea where the oil wells are to be found (Ibid.).

Military affairs
The IISS estimated Turkmenistan’s armed forces at about 29,000 in 2003, of which 25,000 served in the army, 3,000 in the air force and about 1,000 in a nascent navy (EIU 2006au, quoting IISS 2003). Low pay has fostered poor discipline, low morale and corruption (Ibid.). This situation creates an obstacle for contributing troops. Nevertheless, “the number of armed forces in 2003 rose substantially compared with the previous year” (Ibid.). Strengthening Turkmenistan’s defences against external threats appears to have acquired a new importance (Ibid.).

Foreign policy
Niyazov uses the country’s neutrality as a reason not to participate in regional forums, leaving Turkmenistan largely isolated in the arena of international relations (EIU 2006au, 17).

The president has consistently pursued an inward looking policy, preserving the structures of the Soviet era almost intact, and refusing to implement the political and economic changes that a more developed foreign policy would entail. Most Western nations remain reluctant to engage with Turkmenistan in the absence of any political liberalization, and Turkmenistan itself has shown little desire to expand its foreign relations. (Ibid.)

Turkmenistan’s international relations beyond its immediate neighbors and gas export markets are minimal (Ibid., 18). This has resulted in international organizations having little leverage with which to press for economic and political reforms (Ibid.). Motions of censure adopted by these bodies have little impact in Turkmenistan (Ibid.).

Additional variables found after the preliminary analysis:

Climate changes
No record.

Independent negotiations taken by DPKO to seek troops
No record.

Independent negotiations taken by contributor countries to engage non-contributor countries
No record.

Meetings organized by other international organizations to engage in dialogue about peacekeeping
No record.