This book provides the first comprehensive analysis of US policy from the perspective of an analyst and scholar from the region. This volume discusses the US energy diplomacy in the Caspian Sea region since 2001. It compares the foreign policy of the Bush, Obama, and Trump administrations, following the changing role of energy in the behavior of the US toward states in the energy hubs of Central Asia and the Caspian Sea. The chapters employ historical analysis, regional analysis, interviews, and case studies to trace the evolution of US interests in the area and posits likely trends for future policy. Topics discussed include: China’s massive Belt and Road Initiative the energy and foreign policies of the Caspian littoral states in comparison with those of China, India, the European Union, and Turkey the escalation of differences among key OPEC members during the Trump era the impact of the oil price war on the US shale industry the spread of COVID-19 and its impact on the oil market Russian and U.S. competition in the EU energy market the US-China trade war and the role of energy in the first phase of the US-China trade deal the energy policy of the incoming US President, Joe Biden Shedding light on the complex geopolitics of the US-Caspian Sea Energy diplomacy, this volume will be of interest to researchers of foreign policy, diplomacy, international relations, and energy policy as well as policymakers and analysts working in related areas.

Could the Caspian Region replace Russia's or the Persian Gulf's immense energy potential with their energy resources? Yunis Gurbanov explores the strategic importance of the region in post-USSR Eurasian policies of major global actors, namely China, the EU, the USA, and Russia, and examines Azerbaijan's, Kazakhstan's, and Turkmenistan's oil and gas resources as alternatives to conventional suppliers. He shows that the Caspian region's resources could serve as alternative energy sources on a global level, mitigating dependence on traditional suppliers and stabilizing energy prices.

The quest for oil can be seen as a defining principle of global US foreign policy, an imperative which has shaped and redefined the practice of American diplomacy, especially in the wake of 9/11, which raised questions about the stability of global oil resources. In "Energy and US Foreign Policy", Ahmed Mahdi relates the military expansion of the world's biggest superpower to its quest to gain guaranteed and secure access to the world's most important commodity. Examining the foreign policy of George Bush Sr., Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, culminating in the unprecedented military campaigns of the latter, Mahdi demonstrates how and why oil has played a central role in US relations with the wider world. By dissecting the failures of the US to secure its own economic and energy interests, and by demonstrating the devastating impact this has had on the rest of the world, especially in the Middle East, Mahdi offers vital analysis for researchers and students of International Relations, Diplomacy, Security and Energy Studies.

The energy reserves of the Caspian Region have been hailed as the new 'Middle East'. This book offers a thorough assessment of its energy resources and the nature of the international politics that surround them. This volume presents a unique study of the various dimensions of Caspian energy, ranging from the geopolitical to the economic, technical, religious and political.

The Economics and Politics of China's Energy Security Transition clarifies China's energy and foreign policies through a comprehensive examination of energy sources, providing an insider's unique perspective for assessing China's energy policies. China's historic decline in coal consumption since 2013-2014 and a plateauing of its carbon dioxide emissions have given China an unprecedented opportunity to decarbonize while growing its economy. In response to global questions about China's institutional, administrative, and political challenges and risks, this book provides the answers that everyone is asking. - Provides a rare assessment of China's energy policies and reveals insights into the Chinese government - Devotes attention to issues of global energy governance and energy sanctions - Includes data and reference content suitable for researchers in economics, sustainability, energy policy, geopolitics and political science

The book makes an effort in investigating the present and future developments in the global economy, after the 2008 global financial and economic crisis. The results of the global crisis were devastating and destructive all around the world. The USA economy took significant damage when the crisis went into Europe, and it turned out a foreign debt crisis influencing European economies, including Iceland, Ireland, Greece, Spain, Italy. Consequently, the economic crises gave impetus to social uprisings and protest, and this led to giving populist and nationalist politicians the advantage to take the control of government. President Trump's “First USA Policy,” then, European populist and anti-EU politicians including, Le Pen, Wilders, Salvini, and Nigel Farage attack the post-war global economic order and structures like the European Union to vanish the full benefits and wealth of globalization process. After the crisis, the global economy evolved into protectionism, depending on the coming to power of populist leaders. President Trump entered into a great trade war with the European Union and China, later on. In this frame, the study examines the effects of populism/protectionism, which has upsurged after the 2008 crisis, on the global economy in various dimensions.

Published in association with the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

A stable and reliable energy supply is of critical importance and enhances resilience against political and economic pressures. As was noted during the NATO Warsaw Summit in 2016, energy developments could have significant political and security implications for the alliance and its allies, as demonstrated by the crises to NATO's east and south. This book presents papers from the NATO Advanced Research Workshop “Addressing Emerging Security Risks for Energy Flows over South Caucasus”, which took place in Tbilisi, Georgia, in December 2016. The workshop brought together academics specializing in energy security, practitioners dealing with energy infrastructure, safety and critical energy projects, NATO and EU experts, and representatives from industry, civil society and governmental agencies. The workshop consisted of six major panels, which addressed numerous issues and emphasised the importance of the energy transit function of Georgia and the South Caucasus. It reviewed existing and future energy transit projects and potential flows of oil and power, and debated areas of common interest and forms of cooperation between consumers, producers and transit states. New security challenges raised by the increased threat of terrorist activities and potential military actions were also analyzed. Potential forms of cooperation to provide adequate strategic and tactical safeguards against emerging threats were identified by the participants, and the book will be of interest to all those concerned with the security of our energy supplies.

The opening of the Caspian Sea basin to Western investment following the breakup of the Soviet Union produced a major contest for access to the region's vast energy reserves on the part of powers as close as Russia, Turkey, and Iran, and as far away as Japan and the United States. Indeed, the struggle to exploit Caspian oil has been one of the most monumental geopolitical developments of the post-Cold War era as external powers vie for political, economic, and military influence in a region brimming not only with oil, but also with ethnic conflicts and historical animosities. The coming decade of rapidly increasing demand for energy will ensure the continued interest and engagement of external powers with often competing geopolitical agendas. Thus the geopolitical developments spawned by the opening of the Caspian Sea are likely to continue to far outweigh the actual impact of Caspian oil on world energy markets. This collection of essays by prominent scholars and international experts offers several important and often conflicting interpretations of the events unfolding along the shores of the world's oldest oil-producing region.