1st Edition

Caspian Energy Politics Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan

    208 Pages 19 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    208 Pages 19 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Caspian Energy Politics analyses the role of oil and gas in the development of the three main petroleum exporters in the Caspian region - Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan - and how energy resources influence interactions with semi-authoritarian Russia and China.

    Due to volatile commodity prices and competition for the resources in and around the Caspian Sea, the governments of these petroleum-exporters face a series of difficult decisions. These governments have sought to balance short-term incentives to spend oil revenues as a means to maintain power against the need for a long-term strategy for managing these assets, choices which have further implications for how these countries align themselves internationally. By illuminating important linkages between domestic and international dynamics in these states, the book provides a fresh perspective on energy politics and the impact of petroleum on the development of the Caspian petroleum producers.

    Expert contributors from Central Asia and the South Caucasus and international scholars provide context-specific insights into the incentives affecting decision-makers that can provide a foundation for strategies to help the countries in the region overcome the negative effects of reliance on oil and gas. As such, the book will be a valuable tool for business actors seeking to understand the role of Chinese and Russian companies in the region, as well as local and international policymakers and non-governmental organisations.

    Introduction: The Resource Curse and Authoritarianism in the Caspian Petro-States Indra Overland, Heidi Kjaernet and Andrea Kendall-Taylor  Part I: Domestic Challenges in the Caspian Petro-States.  Introduction: Domestic Balancing Acts in the Caspian Petro-States Andrea Kendall-Taylor  1. Resource Nationalism in Kazakhstan’s Petroleum Sector: Curse or Blessing? Adil Nurmakov  2. Petroleum-Fuelled Public Investment in Azerbaijan: Implications for Competitiveness and Employment Ramil Maharramov  3. Displacement in a Booming Economy: IDPs in Azerbaijan Heidi Kjaernet  4. Natural Gas and Authoritarianism in Turkmenistan Gregory Gleason  Part II: Energy Relations of the Caspian Petro-States with China and Russia.  Introduction: China and Russia: Partners or Firewalls for the Caspian Petro-States? Indra Overland, Stina Torjesen and Heidi Kjaernet  5. China, Energy Security and Central Asian Diplomacy: Bilateral and Multilateral Approaches Marc Lanteigne  6. In the New ‘Great Game’, Who is Getting Played? Chinese Investment in Kazakhstan’s Petroleum Sector Ryan Kennedy  7. Just Good Friends: Kazakhstan’s and Turkmenistan’s Energy Relations with Russia Indra Overland and Stina Torjesen  8. Azerbaijani–Russian Relations and the Economization of Foreign Policy Heidi Kjaernet  9. The Shanghai Cooperation Energy Club: Purpose and Prospects Nargis Kassenova  Conclusions and Further Reflections: The Logic of Authoritarianism in the Caspian Petro-States Indra Overland, Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Heidi Kjaernet

    Biography

    Indra Øverland is the Head of the Energy Programme at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) and an Associate Professor at the University of Tromso. He has a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge and specialises in the petroleum politics of the post-Soviet area, focusing on the natural gas sector.

    Heidi Kjærnet is a Research Fellow in the Energy Programme and the Department of Russia and Eurasia at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI). Her main research interest is the politics of petroleum development in post-Soviet Eurasia, and she specializes in Azerbaijani politics.

    Andrea Kendall-Taylor has conducted extensive research in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan focusing on the political factors that affect how governments manage petroleum revenue. Andrea is currently completing her Ph.D. in Political Science at the University of California, Los Angeles.