Central asias advantageous geopolitical position, along with the geoeconomic benefits from oil resources, have altered existing debates in the field of international relations due to the myriad of developments related to these new realities. Jan 02, 2018 for kazakhstan to become a highincome country, it will be important that the united states, the european union, and other major asian countries take a strategic interest in kazakhstan and its region. We will focus on the region that is today composed of uzbekistan, turkmenistan, tajikistan, kyrgyzstan, and kazakhstan and consider the influences of. A statistical analysis 98 ndu journal 20 according to table 2. Kazakhstan and turkmenistan in comparative perspective. In civil society and politics in central asia, a prominent group of scholars assesses both the areas manifold problems and its emerging potential, examining the often uneasy relationship between its states and the societies they govern. Helena varkkey, university of malaya malaysia and the european union share a long history and strong trade ties.
The objective is to propose measures for oil and gas cooperation between china and central asia. Since the collapse of the soviet union, the united states is attempting to control a significant portion of the worlds energy supply via control of the oil and gas reserves in azerbaijan and the former soviet republics of central asia, and the establishment of allied regimes in afghanistan and iraq. One important geopolitical consequence of the demise of the soviet union was the rise of intense political and commercial competition. Political elites in entral asia s producer states have viewed the. Alok kumar gupta oil has emerged as the most potent weapon within the global economy and has increasingly been instrumental in designing the world politics and international relations.
For all the structural similarities between parts of central asia and the middle east, there are critical differences, too. After the crimean war defeat russian tsar alexander ii turned his attention in territorial expansion of russia towards the caucasus and central asian states bukhara emirate and khiva. The population of central asia tends to be depoliticized, and some of its most active. Ahmed rashid, who has been reporting on afghanistan since 1979, is one of the few international journalists to have interviewed the. The politics of oil in the caucasus and central asia. The geopolitical battle is no longer over access to resources but about global market share. It identifies the elements of support, balance, coercion, and imposition that affect rela tions with. Even the waters near the antarctic are said to contain deposits of oil. They have the potential to secure prosperity and economic.
An indepth look at the geopolitics of central asia, from the great game to presentday political power struggles in the regions. China and the politics of oil foreign policy research institute. Siraj 2007 concluded in oil and gas pipeline politics in central asia, it is. Oil politics in central asia r g gidadhubli the caspian region, rich in oil and gas reserves has become the focus of intense competitive interest among the big powers.
Constantine arvanitopoulos institute of international relations i. Oil and gas potentials of central asian republics and. It is an article by tedd rall, who argues that the shortest route for a pipeline from oil rich kazakhstan out to sea would be through afghanistan, which is why the u. The government also envisages a greater role for renewables.
Oil, gas, cotton, gold and metals have become the main hard currency earners in independent central asia. It is an article by tedd rall, who argues that the shortest route for a pipeline from oilrich kazakhstan out to sea would be through afghanistan, which is why the u. Oil is of integral importance in both the foreign and the domestic politics of nearly every country in the region, oil importers as well as oil exporters. A meticulously in depth study, the volume demonstrates the fascinating cultural complexity and diversity of. Pdf oil and gas potentials of central asian republics and. Implications for the mena oil economies 180 hossein askari 15 oil and power in the caspian region 191 richard pomfret 16 oil and politics in southeast asia 206 benjamin smith part iv country case studies 219 17 united states. The tragic events of september 11th brought the taliban into sharp focus as the most radical and extreme islamic movement in the world, but little is still known about them because of the deep secrecy that always surrounded their organization and leadership. But the oil glut could also have political reasons, such as undermining russia.
Adding to the complexity of the situation is the fact that the existing pipelines pass through russia which is both a partner and a competitor in the energy field in the region. Chapter 2 geopolitical and oil parameters in russian federation and cis countries. So a course on the politics of oil is really a course on the whole world viewed by a different vantage point. Civil society and politics in central asia on jstor. Iea, saudi arabia, russia and usa with respective shares of. With billions of dollars and crucial strategic influence at stake, the struggle for control over the vast, strategically important oil resources in the caucasus and central asia is a tale of political intrigue, cutthroat competition, geostraetgic rivalry, ethnic feuding, and a yearning for independence.
Central asias oil and gas now flows to the east the. Shifting energy geopolitics in central asia michael denison one of the coordinates structuring geopolitics in central asia since the dissolution of the soviet union has been competition for development of the regions oil and gas reserves. Institute of international studies, yunnan university abstract. This is an excellent essay to be used in the context of a world history class. China the greater middle east oil relations are of strategic. As the worlds fastest growing economy, it has burgeoning requirements for oil and gas from west, central asia and elsewhere, as domestic production has sharply declined. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading taliban. This course introduces students to the politics of central asia, enhancing their ability to evaluate current events. Political elites in entral asias producer states have viewed the.
Oct 11, 2001 oil politics in central asia with kind permission, the following article which appeared on the alternet online newspaper web site, on october 11, 2001, has been reposted here. Oil and gas cooperation between china and central asia in an. For the cold war, it basically means ussoviet unionthe soviet union was ruled by the russiansin fact, the term soviet and russian were often used interchangeably. Today china imports more than 50 percent of its oil, and that figure is expected to rise to 7580 percent in the coming decades. Although kazakhstan is an equally important energy player in central asia, its resources consist predominantly of crude oil while turkmenistan could be on course to. The political economy of middle eastern oil mary ann tetreault the middle east is the geographic center of gravity of the world oil industry. In modern and contemporary history central asia region was pulled in the geopolitical games in the 2nd half of 19th century. Palm oil politics threaten eumalaysia ties east asia forum. Afghanistan, called the cross roads of asiaa connect to south and central asiahas been important part of struggle in central asias geopolitics and oil addiction. The caspian sea oil cannot compete with persian gulf oil in terms of easy access to the major world markets, nor will this oil be able to compete in terms of levels of production or costs of production. This paper investigates central asias oil and gas resources, special geopolitics and energy competition, and approaches, challenges and prospects in cooperation between china and central asia. One important geopolitical consequence of the demise of the soviet union was the rise of an intense political and commercial competition for control of the vast.
The european union is malaysias thirdlargest trading partner and is its largest source of foreign direct investment, and malaysia is a major exporter of raw materials to the european union. Central asia has always been left out in the study of politics. As competition continues for a vital resource, the strategic calculations of major and minor countries alike place prominent emphasis on the pumping, refining, transport, sale and use of petroleum products. Oil and gas cooperation between china and central asia in. With respect to oil and gas infrastructure, pipelines crucially ran to russia. Petroleum politics, the management and curse of resources in central asia. Pdf petroleum politics, the management and curse of. Building the postsoviet nations, edited by ian bremmer and. Although kazakhstan is an equally important energy player in central asia, its resources consist predominantly of crude. Militant islam, oil and fundamentalism in central asia, second edition. The oil industry and its effect on global politics by editorial dept oct 22, 2009. A meticulously indepth study, the volume demonstrates the fascinating cultural complexity and diversity of. Moreover, in july 2019, uzbekistan renewed its commitment to a fourth line line d of the centralasia china gas pipeline.
Many factors culture and political tradition, religion, geography, colonial past and others impede development of democratic institutions. Journal of middle eastern and islamic studies in asia vol. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. As many experts have noted, china does not seem to feel comfortable relying on the international system and the continued operation of. Civil war influenced supply and demand that led to power. The emergence of central asia as the new region of new priorities, geopolitical and geoeconomic importance made afghanistan again the focus of central asia politics. Accordingly, the paper tries to come up with some reflection. This paper investigates central asias oil and gas resources, special geopolitics. Petroleum politics have been an increasingly important aspect of diplomacy since the rise of the petroleum industry in the middle east in the early 20th century. Money, politics and power in the 21st century 2010 brian c. According to the estimates of international energy agency.
Central asia s advantageous geopolitical position, along with the geoeconomic benefits from oil resources, have altered existing debates in the field of international relations due to the myriad of developments related to these new realities. Jun 15, 2017 of course, what happens in central asias energy markets is necessarily impacted by global trends. This article looks at russian foreign policy in central asia, with a focus on security issues. Energy politics in central eurasia spotlight on central eurasia series stacy closson argues that central asia is an energy and water rich region that, if cooperative, could cover their annual shortages of electricity, which range roughly around 25%, as well as decrease costs of energy, and protect the environment. All of these factors have been previously associated with developmental and political instability outcomes in earlier research political instability task force 2005. In particular, three countries, kazakhstan, turkmenistan and uzbekistan have formed their development paths around a combination of these resources, especially oil and gas. Geopolitics of central asia artur lakatos introduction the great game, as the competition between tsarist russia and the british em. Rosemarie forsyth, the politics of oil in the caucasus and central asia, p. For kazakhstan to become a highincome country, it will be important that the united states, the european union, and other major asian countries take a. Petroleum politics, the management and curse of resources in. The current tensions in west asia and the war clouds over the skies of iraq due to rise of isis militants have their roots in the economics of oil resources of the persian gulf and the politics of american interests to remain predominant in the region. Militant islam, oil and fundamentalism in central asia, second edition kindle edition by rashid, ahmed. China and the politics of oil foreign policy research. Chapter four then looks at turkmenistan in particular, as a case study in the new geopolitics of energy.
Oil politics in central asia with kind permission, the following article which appeared on the alternet online newspaper web site, on october 11, 2001, has been reposted here. Richard pomfret, central asia in the 21 st century, key note speech at the conference institution building and economic development in central asia, international school of economics. The politics of oil in the caucasus and central asia 1st. Arab oil producers reduced their output which meant higher oil prices which had an effect on gasoline and. The politics of alternative energy 221 alan reynolds. It covers some of the main hot spot areas of central asia including the presentday countries of afghanistan.
Oils power as a political weapon became evident during the 1973 arabisraeli conflict. Of course, what happens in central asias energy markets is necessarily impacted by global trends. Siraj 2007 concluded in oil and gas pipeline politics in central asia, it is advent that the great vicissitudes in geopolitical condition and appearance of the new selfgoverning states in central asia and in caspian region have strong. The oil industry and its effect on global politics. Cooperation with a neighboring region like central asia ensures a secure supply of oil. The politics of oil in the caucasus and central asia adelphi. Oil is not only produced in the middle east but also in latin america, central asia, europe, southeast asia and africa. In particular, saudi arabia seems intent on flooding global markets to push out highercost producers, especially in the us. Nonuzbek investors such as lukoil have established operations intended primarily to service the export market.
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