The Security of the Caspian Sea RegionGennadiĭ Illarionovich Chufrin, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Oxford University Press, 2001 - 375 pages Over the past decade the Caspian Sea region has risen from relative obscurity to considerable prominence in global affairs. Located at the crossroads of traditional trade routes between Europe and Asia and possessing vast natural resources, oil and natural gas among them, it attracts widespread international interest. The emergence of new sovereign states in the region has fundamentally transformed its political landscape. The future of the Caspian region is far from certain, however, as it is challenged by a wide variety of political, socio-economic and military threats which include the declining living standards of vast segments of local populations, inter-ethnic and inter-confessional tensions and conflicts, militant separatism, international terrorism, and illegal trade in arms and drugs. The security of the region is also affected by the intensifying strategic competition among major outside powers over establishing their political and economic influence in regional affairs. The book offers a competent analysis of the major political, economic and security developments in the region by a diverse group of highly qualified experts from the Caspian littoral states, the USA and the European Union. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
The new geopolitical situation in the Caspian region | 11 |
Energy reserves pipeline routes and the legal regime in | 33 |
1 Caspian oil and gas pipelines existing under construction | 46 |
1 | 72 |
Major trends in military expenditure and arms acquisitions by the | 83 |
Russias national security interests in the Caspian region | 119 |
can the wishlist be realized? | 136 |
The changing conflict dynamics in the Caspian Sea region | 255 |
its impact on security in the | 257 |
The positions of the contending parties | 259 |
The positions of the regional countries | 264 |
The stand of the Western countries | 271 |
Attempts at mediation | 273 |
The danger of armed conflict | 275 |
Scenarios for conflict resolution | 277 |
Turkeys objectives in the Caspian region | 151 |
The evolving security role of Iran in the Caspian region | 166 |
Azerbaijans strategic choice in the Caspian region | 178 |
The choice of independent Georgia | 195 |
Kazakhstans security policy in the Caspian Sea region | 212 |
1 Immigration to and emigration from Kazakhstan | 223 |
Turkmenistans quest for economic security | 231 |
The major competitors and partners of Turkmenistan | 234 |
The transCaspian gas pipeline | 236 |
Existing pipelines | 238 |
The legal status of the Caspian Sea | 241 |
Conclusions | 242 |
Turkmenistan and Central Asian regional security | 244 |
The neutrality concept | 245 |
The Taliban connection | 246 |
The reality of Turkmenistanss neutrality | 252 |
Conclusions | 279 |
The GeorgianAbkhazian Conflict | 281 |
The postwar situation | 286 |
The position of Russia | 290 |
The position of the West | 292 |
Conclusions | 294 |
The glitter and poverty of Chechen Islam | 295 |
The influence of Islam on events in Chechnya | 296 |
The aims of the Chechen leaders in appealing to Islam | 298 |
The failure of the Salafite project | 304 |
External influences | 308 |
Radical Islam as a threat to the security of the Central Asian | 311 |
towards an unstable future | 325 |
Appendix Chronology of defence and securityrelated declarations | 345 |
About the authors | 358 |
Common terms and phrases
Abkhaz Abkhazia Afghanistan agreement AIOC Almaty armed forces Armenia Asian Azerbaijan Azeri Baku Baku-Ceyhan bilateral Black Sea border Caspian Basin Caspian oil Caspian region Caspian Sea Caspian Sea region cent Central Asia Chechen Chechnya China conflict Dagestan defence ministers economic energy ethnic export factors foreign policy gas pipeline geopolitical Georgia Government important increase independent influence interests Interfax Moscow Iran Iran's Iranian Islamic issue ITAR-TASS joint Karabakh Kazakh Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan littoral major ment military cooperation million Nagorno-Karabakh national security NATO neighbours Nezavisimaya Gazeta Niyazov officials oil and gas oil pipeline OSCE participation peacekeeping political President problems programme Putin regional security relations Republic RFE/RL Newsline role route Russia Russian military Salafites signed SIPRI South Caucasus Soviet stability strategic Tajikistan Taliban Tashkent Tashkent Treaty territory threats trans-Caspian transport Turkey Turkey's Turkish Turkmen Turkmenistan Ukraine Uzbek Uzbekistan Western