I have to disagree on that one although it would be a ridiculous question. The primary unit of government in the United States are the states hence the name. The states are not a subdivision of the federal government. They are a permanent coalition that support the existence of the federal government. Most states are bigger than most countries and function roughly like them in terms of everyday impact on the lives of their residents. You can find parallels all over the world such as entities that are part of the UK or maybe even the old Soviet Union. It isn’t unreasonable for outsiders to study things at that level. That isn’t the same thing as knowing, say, the counties in England because the level of political and practical importance isn’t comparable.
All right then, from the size/population point of view, it would be like asking George Bush to name and place on a map all the states of India or all the provinces of China. From a governmental point of view (permanent coalition of smaller governmental entiities), it would be like asking George Bush to name and place on a map all the cantons of Switzerland (this might apply to India too but I’m not 100% sure).
Also, from a foreign policy point of view (which would be one of the main concerns of a president from a foreign country), the US states act like one entity.
I don’t think George Bush could name all the United States, let alone those of India or China.
How highly rated is your sister?
I would ask him about the educational system in Turkmenistan and the requirement that students have to work for two years before attending which has caused the numbers to drop dramatically.
I would ask him why all degrees obtained abroad in 1993 are not considered valid in Turkmenistan. My cite. Here is another article explaining more of the same.
“Do you mind if I call you ‘Guly’?”
Actually, it seems that’s a whole can of worms. Have a look at the protracted discussions on Wikipedia!
I can do that.
I was in Turkmenistan in 1998 and it was very much a Turkmenbashi personality cult. I’d ask him how he plans to bring Turkmenistan from an isolated backwater into the modern world. When I crossed the border to Iran you can not imagine how much better everything was, it was like going from Mexico to the US.
How much did people seem to take the Turkmenbashi thing seriously - were they really worshipful, or did it seem like something to which they paid lip service? I have trouble even reading the stuff about him with a straight face.
Thanks for all the questions, everybody!