Pay Attention To Turkmenistan

The ruler of Turkmenistan, Saparmurad Niyazov, has unexpectedly died. And while no one is saying there is any foul play(like polonium poisoning), it has left a vacuum in Turkmenistan which many parties are willing to fill. So why should we pay attention to this?

(SF Gate)Experts are now predicting a volatile power struggle in Turkmenistan, a desert country of 5 million with massive natural gas reserves and a strategic location bordering the Caspian Sea, Iran and Afghanistan.

The U.S. and Europe have tried to build pipelines bypassing Russian soil and sending gas to Europe and the rest of the world. By doing this, Europe would free itself from a building dependence of Russian energy. Which obviously would not make Russian President Vladimir Putin happy. And with Russian energy company Gazprom and Putin trying to consolidate the energy sector under government control, you have the ingredients for problems.