Energy and Conflict in Central Asia and the Caucasus or Guide To Using The National Electric Code

Energy and Conflict in Central Asia and the Caucasus

Author: Robert Ebel

This timely study is the first to examine the relationship between competition for energy resources and the propensity for conflict in the Caspian region. Taking the discussion well beyond issues of pipeline politics and the significance of Caspian oil and gas to the global market, the book offers significant new findings concerning the impact of energy wealth on the political life and economies of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan. The contributors, a leading group of scholars and policymakers, explore the differing interests of ruling elites, the political opposition, and minority ethnic and religious groups region-wide. Placing Caspian development in the broader international relations context, the book assesses the ways in which Russia, China, Iran, and Turkey are fighting to protect their interests in the newly independent states and how competition for production contracts and pipeline routes influences regional security. Specific chapters also link regional issues to central questions of international politics and to theoretical debates over the role of energy wealth in political and economic development worldwide. Woven throughout the implications for U.S. policy, giving the book wide appeal to policymakers, corporate executives, energy analysts, and scholars alike.

Author Biography: Rajan Menon is Monroe J. Rathbone Professor of International Relations, Lehigh University and adjunct professor, Harriman Institute, Columbia University. Robert Ebel is director, Energy and National Security Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Booknews

Examines prospects for the Caspian Sea region in the era of globalization. Looks at how the post-Cold War international system shapes and is shaped by the region, and considers how energy revenues could influence Azerbaijan's political and economic order. Explores the link between energy and development, focusing on Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, and illuminates issues of corruption, the distribution of wealth, the balance of power between central and provincial governments, and the standing of civil society in relation to the state. Ebel is director of the Energy and National Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Menon teaches international relations at Lehigh University. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

What People Are Saying

Graham E. Fuller
"The Caspian" no longer refers merely to a sea, but has become a new geopolitical concept denoting Eurasian rivalries over energy and geopolitics in the region. Amid a welter of recent books that often hype the topic with little professional depth, this volume offers a welcome contrast characterized by realism in its exploration of the shifting balance of economics, politics, ethnic groups, religion, societies, and geopolitics by some of the savviest authors around on these subjects. One of the best books on the outlook for this complex region.
— Graham E. Fuller

James Schlesinger
For too many Americans, Central Asia and the Caspian region represent unfamiliar territory combining mystery, romance, and ignorance. All three are captured in the misleading comparison to the nineteenth-century "Great Game" between Britain and Russia---misleading since the United States has no stake equivalent to India, then Britain's Jewel in the Crown. This collection of essays, rich in context and in content, will go far to dispel that gap in knowledge. If the usual flaw in treatment of this region is the glittering generality passed off with a wave of the hand, this collection is detailed, specific, and comprehensive, treating the nations concerned both individually and collectively.
— James Schlesinger

Table of Contents:

	Acknowledgments
	Map of Commonwealth of Independent States
	Map of Existing and Potential Oil and Gas Export Routes from the Caspian Basin
1	Introduction: Energy, Conflict, and Development in the Caspian Sea Region	1
2	The Caspian Region in the Twenty-first Century	21
3	Crude Calculations: OPEC Lessons for the Caspian Region	29
4	Azerbaijan: The Politicization of Oil	55
5	Kazakhstan: The Long-Term Costs of Short-Term Gains	79
6	Turkmenistan's Energy: A Source of Wealth or Instability?	107
7	Regional Cooperation in Central Asia and the South Caucasus	123
8	U.S.-Iranian Relations: Competition or Cooperation in the Caspian Sea Basin	145
9	Paradigms for Russian Policy in the Caspian Region	163
10	The Afghan Civil War: Implications for Central Asian Stability	189
11	China's Interest in Central Asia: Energy and Ethnic Security	209
12	Turkey's Caspian Interests: Economic and Security Opportunities	225
	Index	247
	About the Contributors	263
	About NBR	267

See also: Amministrazione di risorsa umana internazionale: Politica e pratica per l'impresa globale

Guide To Using The National Electric Code

Author: Gregory W Fletcher

Written in accordance with the 2005 National Electrical Code®, this new book is designed to provide straightforward, easy-to-understand explanations of how to use and apply the Code®. Readers with little or no electrical experience can learn how to use the NEC® to find must-know information quickly. The Guide to Using the National Electrical Code® contains the essential information for determining the minimum requirements for installing electrical wiring and equipment in a safe and proper manner. Coverage has been thoughtfully arranged to clearly explain the basic information and the use of the NEC®, which is vital to understanding how to meet Code requirements for safe electrical installations.