Energy and Conflict in Central Asia and the Caucasus

Front Cover
Robert E. Ebel, Rajan Menon
Rowman & Littlefield, 2000 - Business & Economics - 267 pages
This timely study is the first to examine the relationship between competition for energy resources and the propensity for conflict in the Caspian region. Taking the discussion well beyond issues of pipeline politics and the significance of Caspian oil and gas to the global market, the book offers significant new findings concerning the impact of energy wealth on the political life and economies of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan. The contributors, a leading group of scholars and policymakers, explore the differing interests of ruling elites, the political opposition, and minority ethnic and religious groups region-wide. Placing Caspian development in the broader international relations context, the book assesses the ways in which Russia, China, Iran, and Turkey are fighting to protect their interests in the newly independent states and how competition for production contracts and pipeline routes influences regional security. Specific chapters also link regional issues to central questions of international politics and to theoretical debates over the role of energy wealth in political and economic development worldwide. Woven throughout the implications for U.S. policy, giving the book wide appeal to policymakers, corporate executives, energy analysts, and scholars alike.
 

Contents

Introduction Energy Conflict and Development in the Caspian Sea Region
1
The Caspian Region in the Twentyfirst Century
21
Crude Calculations OPEC Lessons for the Caspian Region
29
Azerbaijan The Politicization of Oil
55
Kazakhstan The LongTerm Costs of ShortTerm Gains
79
Turkmenistans Energy A Source of Wealth or Instability?
107
Regional Cooperation in Central Asia and the South Caucasus
123
USIranian Relations Competition or Cooperation in the Caspian Sea Basin
145
Paradigms for Russian Policy in the Caspian Region
163
The Afghan Civil War Implications for Central Asian Stability
189
Chinas Interest in Central Asia Energy and Ethnic Security
209
Turkeys Caspian Interests Economic and Security Opportunities
225
Index
247
About the Contributors
263
The National Bureau of Asian Research
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