4 ms·

Well, Turkmenistan is black box when looked from outside, I wouldn't jump to conclusions based on couple minutes of Google search :-) Our government is paranoi

Well, Turkmenistan is black box when looked from outside, I wouldn't jump to conclusions based on couple minutes of Google search :-) Our government is paranoid about money leaving the country. And I think, rightly so. We spend quite a lot inside on infrastructure, build some shiny new schools/hospitals/residence buildings, invest on some factories, etc. It may not be "wisest" way possible, but I wouldn't call that stupid either. At least, better than distributing the wealth among "family" like in Russia 90s. My original point was "No, you can't make millions by getting on radar here in Turkmenistan. It is not as easy as you think."

abalashov 17y ago
Understood. No disagreement there. :-) I actually assumed you were something of a "patriot"; people here expect me to avenge insults to Russia with blood all the time for some reason. And certainly, a policy to contain the kind of international laundering^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hcapital flight that characterised Russia in the 90s is wiser than the absence of one.
berntb 17y ago
>>I wouldn't jump to conclusions based on couple minutes of Google search :-) True, HRW and Wikipedia are just Western conspiracies -- just ask any dictator! :-)
- abalashov 17y ago
  I think the parent's point was that blanket statements of this sort gloss over all sorts of significant nuances that render the issue in non-B&W terms, especially as it relates to his specific experience of that country's political environment.
  - berntb 17y ago
    >> his specific experience of that country's political environment. Totally irrelevant. I quoted: >>Any opposition to the government is considered treason and punishable by life imprisonment. My SPECIFIC point was: The "joke" here is: I wonder what would happen the poster if he wrote anything different? To be absolutely clear: The poster couldn't write anything else out of self preservation, according to HRW/Wikipedia. If you can show HRW to be spinning that much, please give references.
    - atamyrat 17y ago
      My SPECIFIC point was: The "joke" here is: I wonder what would happen the poster if he wrote anything different? Nothing! Seriously.. I keep a blog (in Turkmen) for more than 3 years and people actually living in the country write all kinds of criticism (in blog posts/comments), and guess what? We are all alive and well, have more than 1 million+ pageviews/year. Oh wait, someone's knocking the door...
      - berntb 17y ago
        Well, I hope HRW and Wikipedia [edit: and CIA World Factbook] are full of it, for your sake...

abalashov 17y ago

Understood. No disagreement there. :-) I actually assumed you were something of a "patriot"; people here expect me to avenge insults to Russia with blood all the time for some reason. And certainly, a policy to contain the kind of international laundering^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hcapital flight that characterised Russia in the 90s is wiser than the absence of one.

berntb 17y ago

>>I wouldn't jump to conclusions based on couple minutes of Google search :-) True, HRW and Wikipedia are just Western conspiracies -- just ask any dictator! :-)

abalashov 17y ago
I think the parent's point was that blanket statements of this sort gloss over all sorts of significant nuances that render the issue in non-B&W terms, especially as it relates to his specific experience of that country's political environment.
- berntb 17y ago
  >> his specific experience of that country's political environment. Totally irrelevant. I quoted: >>Any opposition to the government is considered treason and punishable by life imprisonment. My SPECIFIC point was: The "joke" here is: I wonder what would happen the poster if he wrote anything different? To be absolutely clear: The poster couldn't write anything else out of self preservation, according to HRW/Wikipedia. If you can show HRW to be spinning that much, please give references.
  - atamyrat 17y ago
    My SPECIFIC point was: The "joke" here is: I wonder what would happen the poster if he wrote anything different? Nothing! Seriously.. I keep a blog (in Turkmen) for more than 3 years and people actually living in the country write all kinds of criticism (in blog posts/comments), and guess what? We are all alive and well, have more than 1 million+ pageviews/year. Oh wait, someone's knocking the door...
    - berntb 17y ago
      Well, I hope HRW and Wikipedia [edit: and CIA World Factbook] are full of it, for your sake...