Why Europe Will Be Watching Turkmenistan's Election

With the recent death of Turkmenistan's longtime dictator, the gas-rich Central Asian country is drawing an uncommonly large amount of attention from the surrounding regions with regards to where it will send its energy exports when a new leader takes over. In her article, Which Way Will Turkmen Gas Flow, Carin Zissis of the Council on Foreign Relations explains that particular attention to the election this month will be paid in Europe where it is hoped that Turkmenistan can undermine Russia's growing monopoly on energy supplies. Europe's growing reliance on Russian energy is becoming dangerous thanks to the Russian government's eagerness to shut down energy exports in order to solve disputes with its neighbors, resulting in energy shortages throughout Europe.