The importance of the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan: Opportunities, Challenges and Prospects, (original) (raw)
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Stuck in the middle of different as well as relevant regional complexes, the Caspian Sea basin represents a critical geopolitical hub in the heart of Eurasia landmass. Political, economic as well as strategic considerations contribute to determine the systemic relevance of the Caspian Sea, whose reputation in the West is mainly linked to the vast availability of largely untapped oil and gas resources. However, behind the fierce competition aimed at the exploitation and transportation of the basin’s hydrocarbons lies a much more complex picture, consisting of interlinked legal, military and soft power issues and threats. Aim of the volume – result of a joint research project conducted by the Center for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SAM, Baku) and the Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI, Milan) – is to address the relevance of the Caspian Sea in the post-bipolar international system, analyzing both soft and had security threats emerging form the basin, as well as the policies of littoral and extra-regional actors.
The Rising Waters of the Caspian Sea and Possibilities for International Cooperation
Scientific, Environmental, and Political Issues in the Circum-Caspian Region, 1997
If the waters of Lake Leman were rising 10 cm a year, the riparians, France and Switzerland, would not find it very difficult to cooperate in searching for ways to deal with the problem. Why? Several reasons may easily be identified. First, there has been a long established and very stable arrangement regarding almost all questions of an international nature pertaining to the lake between France and Switzerland. Furthermore, there is no major set of outstanding questions between the two countries in areas other than the lake. France and Switzerland have been in existence as independent states, as full members of the international community of nations for a long time, whatever major conflict-laden issues may have existed between them have been resolved a long time ago, giving way to an overall stability in their relationship.
2011
This case study explores the Caspian Sea energy politics, specifically the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline (TCGP) project and the Azeri-Turkmen conflict over the three offshore oil and gas fields. The conflict has been a deadlock of the project. It is almost unfeasible constructing the TCGP underneath of the sea without finding a viable solution to the Azeri-Turkmen conflict. Discovering the essence of the problem may help to understand what is going on over there. However, without exploring domestic and international barriers in front of the bilateral (on the disputed offshore fields) and multilateral (on the TCGP project) negotiations, none could find a viable solution to these entangled problems. Thus, areas of the domestic-international interaction of the problem are addressed through a comparative analysis of the two countries under the guidance of the ‘two-level games’ theory. This study argues by making small compromises to each other Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan will see not only ...
In search of security: Azerbaijan and the role of oil in the Caspian Sea
Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics, 1999
Russia's neo‐imperial activism in the former Soviet republics is often singled out as the reason for these countries' continued political, economic and social instability. More likely, as illustrated by the case of Azerbaijan, the origins of a 'weak state'lie in its internal ...
Caspian Sea is the largest water filled depression in the world. Before the dissolution of the Soviet Union it was shared by only two countries, but, since 1991, it has been shared by five states. This essay shows that there is a causal relation between regional instability, and the conflicting interests of countries of the region and world powers. These conflicting interests have caused the inability to reach an agreement on the legal status of the body of water, led to its militarization; and caused the conflict over the exploitation and transportation of oil and gas. Solving part of these problems in recent times has increased the stability of the region, but was also carried out in such a way that it increased the international influence of Russia, and prevented the entry of external forces into the region. Kaspijsko jezero najveća je vodom ispunjena depresija na svijetu. Prije raspada SSSR-a dijelile su ga samo dvije države, a nakon 1991. na njegovim obalama nalazi se pet država. Ovaj rad pokazuje da postoji uzročno-posljedični odnos između sukobljenih interesa država regije i svjetskih sila te regionalne nestabilnosti. Sukobljeni interesi prouzročili su nemogućnost postizanja dogovora o pravnom statusu jezera, doveli do militarizacije jezera te izazvali sukob oko iskorištavanja i transporta nafte i plina. Rješavanje dijela tih problema u najnovije vrijeme povećalo je stabilnost regije, ali je i izvedeno na takav način da je povećalo međunarodni utjecaj Rusije i spriječilo ulazak izvanjskih sila u regiju.
The Caspian Project, No. 12, 2015 - The International Political Economy Issue
Continuing in the tradition of previous Caspian Project issues, an overarching theme has emerged with No.12: the geopolitical impact of development and political economy. While economics is understandably a subject that often forces people’s eyes to glaze over, this issue I believe is a stellar example of how fascinatingly important and increasingly essential knowledge of the global economic system is for those who wish to know the ways of war and peace in the 21st century. This issue challenges readers to understand the theoretical flaws behind sanctions, offers an alternative consideration of the Iran nuclear deal, and explains how South-South development relations might be an actual challenge to long-accepted Western economic dominance. Additionally, the delicate and problematic investment climate in Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan’s unique development security dilemma, and the ‘Global Spiral’ theory of Caspian environmental politics are all investigated in-depth within this issue. Finally, there are a couple of interesting analyses of the China-Russia cyber partnership and an important and thought-provoking piece dissecting the complex world of Islamic marriage and divorce and how it may impact 80% of the Caspian region. In short, this international political economy issue isn’t just about the crisis of cash or the conundrum of capitalism, but also considers important cascade effects to the world Caspian citizens actually live in and the social challenges these economic dilemmas create. For that is where IPE separates itself from standard discussions of money: it is more than anything else about how money and politics and social reality all intersect, interact, and engage one another. One thing is certain: after reading this issue cover to cover it is highly doubtful our readers will ever see economics in a boring or eye-glazing way again.