Table of Contents

Introduction - Niyazov’s Turkmenistan: yet another mystery wrapped in an enigma? 1. What is a personality cult? 2. Qadhdhafi’s Libya: a ‘maverick state’ 3. Turkmenistan: from ‘tribal society’ to modern nation? 4. Niyazov’s personality cult as a unifying tool for nation-building

About the Author

Fabio De Leonardis received his PhD from University of Bari, Italy. He was previously a visiting scholar at the Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies, Stanford University, USA, and is currently a teacher at Academy Union Education, Shenzhen, the People’s Republic of China.