US-Russian Cooperation in the Caspian: An Opportunity Worth Pursuing

For the United States, the strategic importance of the Caspian region has increased dramatically in recent years. The Caspian littoral states have come to provide an important set of opportunities…

The Caspian Sea Region: Local Dynamics, Global Reverberations

The Caspian Sea region is one of the most dynamic focal points in Eurasia, and not only because of its strategic oil and gas resources. There are two major issues…

The Russian-Georgian Crisis and Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan

In the early fall of 2002, two developments concerning Georgia garnered a great deal of attention. The first was the groundbreaking ceremony for the long-awaited Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, which has…

Quod Licet Iovi: Preemptive Use of Military Force in Russian Foreign Policy

In August-September 2002, Russia appeared to have a short romance with the U.S. policy of preemption, which was annoucned months before and made official in the National Security Strategy issued…

Why Did Lukoil Really Pull Out of the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli Oilfield?

In late November 2002, Russia’s largest oil company, Lukoil, created a flurry of speculation over its decision to withdraw from the Azerbaijan International Operating Company (AIOC), a major Caspian oil consortium. Given…

Political Implications of the U.S. Military Intervention for the Transcaspian

In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks and the U.S. military response in Afghanistan, a number of apparent changes have quickly taken place in U.S.-Russia relations with significant implications…

Russia’s New Caspian Policy

This memo outlines and interprets Russia's new, self-styled "active policy" in the Caspian Sea launched under Vladimir Putin to promote and defend Russia's regional interests. This "active policy" takes shape…

America’s Caspian Policy Under the Bush Administration

At the time of this writing there is no indication of any major change in America's Caspian policy under the Bush administration. On the contrary, a conservative policy agenda will…

Southern Russia: The Heartland or Russia’s Soft Underbelly?

Southern Russia is undoubtedly of strategic importance. Its figures are not too impressive: with about 13% of Russia's total population, the region produces 15.5% of the country's agriculture and just…

Russia’s Caspian Policy Under Primakov

This memo addresses the general prospects for Russia's policy in the Caspian Sea, particularly in light of the ongoing financial crisis and domestic political turmoil. After touching on uncertainties regarding…

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