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Energy, Economics, and Politics in the Caspian Region Dreams and Realities
Book Code: C9130
ISBN: 0-275-99130-X
ISBN-13: 978-0-275-99130-2
264 pages, halftones; tables; figures
Praeger Security International Academic Cloth
Publication: 6/30/2006
List Price: $74.95 (UK Sterling Price: £41.95)
Availability: In Stock
Media Type: Hardcover
Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4
Subjects: Reviews:
  • This volume's central theme is the legal status of the Caspian Sea relative to international designs on its role as a transit for the 200 billion barrels of oil reserved in the countries surrounding it. Crandall correctly notes that the Caspian region may potentially add more fuel to the flame of global and regional military, ethnic, and religious conflicts. Now, in addition to Russia and Iran, other countries such as Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan are directly involved in such conflicts. Moreover, the dramatic rise of oil and gas consumption in China and India has increased their stakes in the region. Turkey also has been attempting to make independent claims and policies with respect to the Caspian region. Meanwhile, Western corporate interests there have become ever more vital, particularly for the US. Crandall tries to shed light on this complex matter, yet by and large she focuses almost exclusively on "internal factors" to explain the region's endemic corruption and abject poverty. However, she does not fully correlate the effects of global economic dynamics upon regional politics so as to show how Russia, China, and Iran are collectively trying to counter US influence over the Caspian region. Recommended. Comprehensive research collections.
    —Choice
    December 2006
  • Crandall takes a close look at the countries surrounding the Caspian Sea for their potential as oil and gas producers, arguing that oil reserves and future production levels in the Caspian region have been overestimated. She examines the stakes involved, including forecast revenues and their potential uses, and discusses issues of governance affecting the disposition of these revenue streams. She also examines environmental considerations, local leadership, and the political situation in the region.
    —Reference & Research Book News
    November 2006
  • Endorsement From Leonard L. Coburn
    International Energy Consultant and Former Director of Russian and Eurasian Affairs, U.S. Department of Energy:
    Dr. Crandall has written a comprehensive book on energy development in the Caspian with a focus on the region's vast oil and gas resources and the problems associated with producing these resources and transporting them to world markets. While many analysts and experts have written about the increasing energy importance of this region, Dr. Crandall puts it all together in a manner suitable for both the beginner and the expert. Anyone new to the region will come away with a better understanding of the political dynamics that drive energy development. For the expert, Dr. Crandall provides a resource that can be delved into over and over to gain new insights and nuances from a region where politics and resource development are so inextricably intertwined. Moreover, Dr. Crandall's writing is superb and quite approachable, making the book especially valuable for all readers.
  • Endorsement From Charles Collier, Ph.D.
    Duke University
    Energy Analyst
    U.S. Department of Energy:
    Maureen S. Crandall has written the book that I believe is the best one available on Caspian Sea oil and gas resources and prospects for development and prospects for solving our energy security problem. The book works superbly on two levels. On one level, if you are not yet a specialist in the area, this book is an excellent introduction to the Caspian and its issues. On the other level, if you are a specialist in the area--as I fancy myself to be--I guarantee that you will learn a lot of the details and facts. On either level, the book works.
Description: The potential of energy resources in the Caspian region (Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) has attracted much attention since the demise of the Soviet Union. Many industry analysts in the United States and other developed nations consider oil supplies from the Caspian a strong alternative to the Persian Gulf, and believe that a new reliance on its resources can reduce the perennial Western vulnerability to price increases and threatened cutoffs. But is the region capable of fulfilling that role? The relatively low demand for natural gas worldwide, the transitory and often perilous political situation in the Caspian, and the uncertainty regarding the region's oil-producing capabilities in general make estimates of its potential to alleviate energy demands seem dubious. Maureen Crandall's revealing study of relevant economic and security issues clearly separates what can and cannot be expected from this strategically important, yet politically unstable region. In addition to examining the complex issues of cause and effect surrounding Caspian oil supply, Crandall examines the interests of neighboring states (Russia, Iran, and China), as well as those of the United States in the global search for resources. Figures, tables, and a bibliography complete a study that will prove of vital interest to regional security specialists, defense economists, energy analysts, environmentalists-and anyone else interested in Central Asia and the future of America's energy supplies.
Table of Contents:
  • Introduction
  • Caspian Energy: Prospects, Pipelines, and Problems
  • The Inner Circle
  • The Outer Circle
  • Concluding Remarks
  • List of Tables
  • List of Figures
  • Endnotes
  • Bibliography
LC Card Number: 2006008228
LCC Class: HD9576
Dewey Class: 333
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