Energy and Conflict in Central Asia and the Caucasus [Paperback]

Robert Ebel (Author), Rajan Menon (Author), Dru Gladney (Contributor), David Hoffman (Contributor), Shireen Hunter (Contributor), Terry Lynn Karl (Contributor), Geoffrey Kemp (Contributor), Nancy Lubin (Contributor), Pauline Jones Luong (Contributor), Michael Mandelbaum (Contributor), Martha Brill Olcott (Contributor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0742500632 | ISBN-13: 978-0742500631 | Publication Date: November 28, 2000

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The 'Caspian' no longer refers merely to a sea, but has become a new geopolitical concept denoting Eurasian rivalries over energy and geopolitics in the region. Amid a welter of recent books that often hype the topic with little professional depth, this volume offers a welcome contrast characterized by realism in its exploration of the shifting balance of economics, politics, ethnic groups, religion, societies, and geopolitics by some of the savviest authors around on these subjects. One of the best books on the outlook for this complex region. (Graham E. Fuller )

It is refreshing to read a collection of twelve highly professional papers compiled by Ebel and Menon that address in considerable depth the complex and varied issues of Energy and Conflict in Central Asia and the Caucasus. The book presents the results of a year-long project within the National Bureau of Asian Research, which involved both academia and industry. The result is excellent. This is an important book that marks a milestone in the developing awareness of the commercial, social and political realities that surround high-risk energy investment in the Caucasus and Central Asia... (Royal Society For Asian Affairs )

This excellent collection is highly recommended to readers interested in the political economy of Caspian Sea oil in Central Asia and the Caucasus. Articles, most written by well-known international experts, are clear and informative. (Choice )

The volume's twelve essays bring together well-known scholars and specialists to provide a thorough and detailed review of the region and the larger issues affecting the nexus. Each essay provides a detailed account of the energy issue and interests at stake. The volume also includes important contributions on the lessons of OPEC for the energy producers of the region, the trends and limits of regional cooperation, and the influence of the Afghan civil war. (International Affairs )

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. It realistically explores the shifting balance of religion, politics, ethnic groups, and societies in the region. (Bulletin Of Science And Technology )

For too many Americans, Central Asia and the Caspian region represent unfamiliar territory combining mystery, romance, and ignorance. All three are captured in the misleading comparison to the nineteenth-century 'Great Game' between Britain and Russia--misleading since the United States has no stake equivalent to India, then Britain's Jewel in the Crown. This collection of essays, rich in context and in content, will go far to dispel that gap in knowledge. If the usual flaw in treatment of this region is the glittering generality passed off with a wave of the hand, this collection is detailed, specific, and comprehensive, treating the nations concerned both individually and collectively. (James Schlesinger )

It is refreshing to read a collection of twelve highly professional papers compiled by Ebel and Menon that address in considerable depth the complex and varied issues of Energy and Conflict in Central Asia and the Caucasus. The book presents the results of a year-long project within the National Bureau of Asian Research, which involved both academia and industry. The result is excellent. This is an important book that marks a milestone in the developing awareness of the commercial, social and political realities that surround high-risk energy investment in the Caucasus and Central Asia. (Royal Society For Asian Affairs )

An excellent introduction to the region and the energy sector. (Development And Change )

About the Author

Rajan Menon is Monroe J. Rathbone Professor of International Relations, Lehigh University and adjunct professor, Harriman Institute, Columbia University. Robert Ebel is director, Energy and National Security Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (November 28, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0742500632
• ISBN-13: 978-0742500631
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,864,535 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best source on Central Asia oil policy, January 3, 2007

By 

Lehigh History Student (Bethlehem, PA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Energy and Conflict in Central Asia and the Caucasus (Paperback)

For those who want to understand why Central Asia has been fought over in recent history Rajan Menon provides an invaluable tool. This book goes region by region utilizing the best authors in each. The book covers the individual countries in the Caspian regions as well as the future prospects for Russian and OPEC interaction there. It clearly lays out how the region has been developing and although a little dated at this point it still provides an excellent foundation. The authors that contribute are the best in their fields and Menon organizes the book very well. Highly recommend if you are interested in oil policy.

3.0 out of 5 stars Solid But Dated, August 22, 2011

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LVT06 - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Energy and Conflict in Central Asia and the Caucasus (Paperback)

Written in 2000, this book demonstrates what a decade does to sully scholarly work. There is a lot of great (dated) information here for students and researchers to get a snapshot of Central Asia just after the fall of the USSR and before the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The insights are sound and relevant, especially in the cases of the autocrat families choke-holding onto power in the 'Stans. However, the What-if predictions are moot after all the hubbub in the region. The introductory chapter was outstanding for its cold, realist view that the world doesn't always change for the better, despite best intentions from outside nations -- Afghanistan being a testament to that sentiment.