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Completely updated and revised for this new edition, our unique electronic book on two CD-ROMs has an amazing collection of the finest federal documents and resources about Turkmenistan, providing encyclopedic coverage of all aspects of the country. This disc set provides a truly fantastic reference source, with over one hundred thousand pages reproduced in Adobe Acrobat format! There is complete coverage of newsworthy material about Turkmenistan, including U.S. relations, USAID, including over 9,000 pages of USAID reports, War on Terror, doing business, Clinton Administration, Caspian Sea Diplomacy, Minerals Management Service, Peace Corps, energy and Caspian Sea pipelines, LNG (liquefied natural gas), and more.This incredible and comprehensive series on the countries of the world contains material from the State Department, Department of Defense, White House, and cabinet agencies including Agriculture, Energy, and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.There is complete information about geography, people, government, the economy, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues.In addition to the nation-specific material, as a bonus we have included reports about every country on the globe, with 271 nations, dependent areas, and other entities identified by the Central Intelligence Agency. The CIA World Factbook is considered an invaluable world encyclopedia reference book.This incredible two CD-ROM set is packed with over 100,000 pages reproduced using Adobe Acrobat PDF software - allowing direct viewing on Windows and Macintosh systems. The Acrobat cataloging technology adds enormous value and uncommon functionality to this impressive collection of government documents and material. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from History Behind the Headlines, Vols. 1-6, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 7375 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Presents in-depth information on conflicts appearing in today's headlines. Users are provided with historical background and analysis to events to give a greater understanding of the politics, players, and layers of current affairs. ... Read more

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Having drawn a startlingly prescient portrait of the Bosnian catastrophe in his bestseller, Balkan Ghosts, Robert Kaplan now travels more widely and ambitiously. In this gritty tour de force of travel writing and political reportage, he covers an arc from West Africa to Southeast Asia, across a world in which nation-states are giving way to warring nationalities and where metastasizing populations compete for dwindling resources. 6 maps.Amazon.com Review
"The future here could be sadder than the present," writesRobert Kaplan in a chapter about the African nation of SierraLeone. From Kaplan's perspective, the same could be said of virtuallythe entire Third World, which he spends the bulk of this book visitingand describing. Kaplan, an acclaimed foreign correspondent and authorof Balkan Ghosts, iscongenitally pessimistic about the developmental prospects of WestAfrica, the Nile Valley, and much of Asia. This traveler's tale offersdire warnings about overpopulation, environmental degradation, andsocial chaos. We should all hope that Kaplan's forecast is wrong, butwe ignore him at our peril. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (62)

Book about trouble spots in the world could have been better
In this book, written some 15 years ago as huge parts of the world were coming out of decades of communism, US journalist Kaplan tells of his travels to some of the more troubled spots in the world: West Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, Indochina. His thesis is that huge parts of the world are going through a period of anarchy, or, to put it in another words, they are going to hell. The chapters about Iran and Turkey are surprisingly good (Kaplan bothered himself into learning about the history and politics of these places before going there, and his impressions are reasoned and intelligent); the material about Central Asia is by comparison, extremely poor (he doesn't seem to say there anything except that these countries reeks). The other countries covered are in between in terms of the quality of his comments. Overall, and given the fact that Kaplan has the opportunity to travel that few other people have, this book could have been far better. Despite the huge bibliography in the back, the research into it seemed particularly poor.

Not Kaplan's best but well worth while
First a few criticisms: Kaplan covers a monster amount of ground in this book without developing a cohesive narrative element. For instance a journey along the Silk Road would have an obvious narrative element. He could have developed even a contrived means of guiding the reader along. Perhaps he could have matched the footsteps of Alexander the Great, or used geology or some common element to give continutuity and guidance to the reader. Some might argue he uses the common travails of the developing world to link his travels but instead he spent most of his time explaining how Iran wasn't Turkey for example. I think this lack of cohesion can confuse the reader. But ultimately, Kaplan is not for light reading. He is not intent on amusing. And he is very interested in giving the reader the unvarnished world as he sees it.

So while I criticize Kaplan for not being Thoreaux of some other great travel writer it may also be his greatest strength. Kaplan is his own State Department, CIA and Assocaited Press. He gives background derived from copious research. He offers experiential comparisons. He draws on local sources. All balanced with what can almost be called objectivity.

At times, Kaplans near love fest with Iran annoyed. But it is hard to fault someone with experience well beyond that of any diplomat or common reporter.

All in all, this is not his best book but still extremely enjoyable and worth reading.

No need to write a long review
Because all I have to say is that this is an outstanding book.Incredibly in depth, the bibliography itself is worth reading if only to garner more reading materials.Made me wish I had Lexis at home, to access some of the older articles he references.Kaplan won me over completely when he exhibited reverence for Kapuscinski in the section on Iran.

Read one of Kaplan's books, you won't regret it.

One of the most eye-opening accounts about Africa
Kaplan has got to be one of the best foreign journalists of our day. I especially could not put down the first section on Africa, where he describes the Third-World regions of equatorial Africa with such precision that the disgust, nausea, and blood-ridden condition of many of these people was almost like a pop-up picture book in it's concrete detail. His stark realism is absolutely stunning in describing (from a secondary source) the difference between the developed nations and Africa proper:{paraphrase}" A stretch limo with US. Britain, Europe, Canada, and parts of Latin America inside, cruising alongside the dirt roads of oblivion where everyone else is going a different way." This book has awesome power to it.

wow! how can someone possibly accumulate, sort, and process so much information?
Robert Kaplan is my favorite non-fiction writer.I have read almost everything he has written.This book was the first book of his that I read -- it prompted me to read many more.This author is absolutely brilliant in processing information, making relationships among trends, and communicating them to others.He's also brilliant at survival because he goes to places few would even imagine contemplating.This particularly book is extraordinarily well cited and substantiated with sources. ... Read more

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The Chalcolithic site of Ilgynly-depe was occupied c.5000-3000 BC and consisted of a prosperous farming community with domestic dwellings that were richly decorated and highly ritualised. This piece of research focuses on more than 500 anthropomorphic figurines found during fourteen seasons of excavations at the site. These clay and stone figurines are examined in terms of their material, form and anatomical features, as well as their function as figurines in their own right, as handles on vessel lids, or as applique pieces on vessels. The presence of a dominant female symbolism is highlighted and linked to possible ritual acts at the site, A catalogue of figurine fragments is provided. ... Read more

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93 pp. English-language text. ... Read more

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The Caspian Sea has been the focus of states and peoples in and out of the area for the last decade. The surrounding states are interested in getting a decent share of the lakeÂ’s resources. The industrial states are interested in taking the oil, gas and other natural wealth of the Caspian Sea to world markets as soon as possible. The populations of the littoral states, which are all ruled by undemocratic regimes, are concerned with whether their governments will retain their just rights in the Caspian Sea. They realize that the highest priority for their current rulers is to keep their grip on power, not their nationÂ’s present or future interests.

How have the respective governments in Azerbaijan, the Federation of Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and especially, Iran, thought and acted in regard to the situation of the Caspian Sea and their interests?

The issue has a special reference to Iran because it is experiencing a terrible situation in regard to the Caspian Sea due to the poor management of its foreign policy and international relations. Iran will end up with the smallest share of the Caspian Sea, whether it likes it or not. This is a serious setback for a country that once shared the Caspian Sea with the former Soviet Union. IranÂ’s mismanagement of its Caspian Sea rights is a political and diplomatic lesson in what not to do.

This book gives everyone, even those without legal or political backgrounds in this issue, an opportunity to survey the facts and history; and to analyze the legal and political realities of the present political situation of the worldÂ’s largest lake. ... Read more

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Politics of Language in the Ex-Soviet Muslim States offers a unique and timely analysis of language policies in the central Asian states of the former Soviet Union. The authors relate these policies to broad issues such as nation-building, language planning, and multilingualism. The book is a comprehensive survey of language policy in the five newly independent states with largely Turkic-speaking populations and in the Tajic republic, with its mainly Iranian-speaking population. It addresses each state's consideration over how the use of Russian--widespread as a second language among the Turkic-speaking peoples and known as a first language for Soviet-era immigrants regardless of ethnicity--should relate to use of the local varieties of Turkic or Iranian. It also addresses efforts in each state to elaborate the local variety of Turkic or Iranian for use as public discourse in administration, law, business, and politics, including teaching the language to its nominal speakers, and considers the relation between these languages and those of local ethnic minorities. The authors utilize previously unpublished empirical data, which is presented in both a clear narrative and conceptual framework.
Jacob M. Landau is Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Barbara Kellner-Heinkele is Professor of Turkic Studies, Free University of Berlin.
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This integration of earlier and new scholarship reconceptualizes the origins of civilization, challenging the received view that the ancient Near East spawned the spread of civilization outward from Mesopotamia to all other neighboring cultures. Central Asia is here shown to have been a major player in the development of cities.

Skillfully documenting the different phases of both Soviet and earlier Western external analyses along with recent excavation results, this new interpretation reveals Central Asia's role in the socioeconomic and political processes linked to both the Iranian Plateau and the Indus Valley, showing how it contributed substantively to the origins of urbanism in the Old World. Hiebert's research at Anau and his focus on the Chalcolithic levels provide an essential starting point for understanding both the nature of village life and the historical trajectories that resulted in Bronze Age urbanism.

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Examines the transition Central Asia underwent in the twentieth century following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Soviet colonial legacy and the attempts of new states to build secular states within the radical Islamic world. ... Read more

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Kazakhstan, Kirgystan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have all become independent states in central Asia, following the break-up of the USSR. All have Muslim majorities and ancient histories, but are otherwise very different. This book provides an introduction to the region. Rashid gives a history of each country, including its incorporation into Tsarist Russia to the present day. He provides basic socio-economic information and explains the diverse political situations. He focuses primarily on the underlying issues confronting these societies: the legacy of Soviet rule; ethnic tensions; the position of women; the future of Islam; the question of nuclear proliferation; and the fundamental choices over economic strategy, political system and external orientation which lie ahead. ... Read more

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The Murghad River delta, the site of ancient Margiana, was extensively settled during at least part of the Bronze Age, between 2200 and 1750 B.C. Oases in an otherwise desert region, settlements were situated along deltaic branches of the river or canals dug from those branches. Excavations at one of the largest and most complex of these sites, Gonur depe, have been ongoing for many years under the direction of Victor Sarianidi. During the 1988-89 field season, Fred Hiebert excavated part of Gonur in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture of Turkmenistan and the Institute of Archaeology in Moscow.

Published here, the results provide a key to understanding the large corpus of material of the Bactro-Margiana Archaeological Complex extracted over the past 30 years from this and neighboring sites of the Oxus civilization.

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Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Ýolöten, Mary Province, Murgap, Turkmenistan, Gulanly, Türkmengala, Sakarçäge, Mollanepes, Tagtabazar, Baýramaly, Magdanly, Seýdi, Baýramaly District, Serhetabat District, Oguzhan District, Mary District, Türkmengala District, Sakarçäge District, Tagtabazar District, Wekilbazar District, Ýolöten District, Garagum District, Murgap District, Hanhowuz Reservoir. Excerpt:Baýramaly Baýramaly (formerly Bayram-Ali , Russian : - ) is a city of Turkmenistan , a seat of Baýramaly District within Mary Province . It lies about 27 km east of the provincial capital Mary , along the main railway line from Ashgabat to Tashkent . In 2009, it had a population estimated at 88,486 (up from 43,824 in the 1989 census ). The city is located in a dry oasis in the Murgab . It is a climatic spa and the visitors are often sent to the city for the treatment of chronic kidney disease , acute forms of nephritis and nephrosis , hypertension , renal tuberculosis and problems of blood circulation. The summer is hot and dry with temperatures over 30 ° C, with about 290 days with sunshine in a year on average. Winters are mild and the average annual humidity is 50 % (25 % in summer). Precipitation for the year is 130 mm. Economy The economy is based around food and construction materials industries. Natural gas is also extracted in the area. Sights References (URLs online) Coordinates : 37°37 00 N 62°09 00 E / 37.616666676667°N 62.15000001°E / 37.616666676667; 62.15000001 A hyperlinked version of this chapter is at Baýramaly District Baýramaly District is a district of Mary Province in Turkmenistan . The administrative center of the district is the town of Baýramaly . A hyperlinked version of this chapter is at Karakum District Karakum District is a district of Mary Province in Turkmenistan . The administrative... ... Read more

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Chapters: Turkmenistan at the 2008 Summer Olympics, Turkmenistan at the 2004 Summer Olympics, Turkmenistan at the 2000 Summer Olympics, Turkmenistan at the 1996 Summer Olympics, National Olympic Committee of Turkmenistan. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 24. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Turkmenistan competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics held in Beijing, People's Republic of China from August 8 to August 24, 2008. The country's flabearer at the Games' opening ceremony was judoka Guvanch Nurmuhammedov. Men Women Women Men ...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=17434757 ... Read more

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Unter Josef Stalins Herrschaft entstand im von den Bolschewiki wiedererrichteten Reich ein bürokratisch-autokratischer Zentralismus, der die Natur des Sowjetsystems sowie teilweise der postsowjetischen politischen Regimes bis in die 1990er Jahre prägte. In einigen zentralasiatischen Republiken sind eine Reihe durch Stalin eingeführter Strukturen und Praktiken bis heute präsent.Die gegenwärtige Nationalisierung der zentralasiatischen Staaten hatte ihren Vorläufer in der bolschewistischen Nationalitätenpolitik der 1920er Jahre. Die Politik Stalins und der Kult um seine Person spielte bei der anschließenden Formierung der neu geschaffenen Republiken in Zentralasien eine maßgebliche Rolle.Diese Monographie zeigt am Beispiel Turkmenistans, welch prägenden Einfluss der Stalinismus bei der Konstituierung der zentralasiatischen Protostaaten sowie bei der Entstehung neuer nationaler Werte und Emotionen in der muslimischen Bevölkerung Zentralasiens zwischen 1924 und 1953 ausübte. Die Studie analysiert, wie die zentralasiatischen Sowjetrepubliken mit dem stalinistischen Wirtschafts- und Gesellschaftssystem umgingen. Im Zentrum steht das in der Stalinismusforschung bisher vernachlässigte Problem der Genese des Stalin-Kultes als geschichtliches, politisches, soziales und kulturelles Phänomen in den muslimischen Regionen der UdSSR. ... Read more