seyed mohammadreza mousavi
Volume 18, Issue 80 , November 2014, , Pages 147-169
Abstract
Before collapse of the Soviet Union, energy pipelines of Central Asia and Caucasus regions were exclusively possessed by the Russians, who were the only regional power in geopolitics ...
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Before collapse of the Soviet Union, energy pipelines of Central Asia and Caucasus regions were exclusively possessed by the Russians, who were the only regional power in geopolitics of these regions. Collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, economic weakness of the Russians in controlling the situations, and open, pro-Atlantic political atmosphere of Gorbachev and Yeltsin periods provoked a strong presence of regional as well as transregional actors so as to exploit energy of these regions. Investments made by such actors in extracting oil and gas and constructing pipelines for energy transit lessened the Russian monopoly and caused geopolitical changes in these regions. This article attempts to describe the effects of construction of energy transit pipelines on the geopolitics of these regions after collapse of the Soviet Union. The assumption goes that construction of energy transit pipelines by regional and transregional actors has not solely pursued economic benefits and has resulted in further political and security intervention of such actors in the geopolitics of Central Asia and Caucasus. This has, in turn, reduced the level of Russian monopoly in energy field and political and security issues of these regions.
