The Caspian Security Conference organized by the Washington-based Caspian Policy Center and the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies (NESA Center) of the U.S. National Defense University, will explore what comes next for Afghanistan...

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November 16-17 | Zoom Conference

Caspian Security Conference

Caspian Policy Center Holds Discussion on Women’s Entrepreneurship and Economic Empowerment in Tajikistan

5th Trans Caspian Forum

PRESS RELEASE: Caspian Policy Center Holds Discussion on the Completion of the Southern Gas Corridor and Future of the Energy Market in the Greater Caspian Region

Welcome to Caspian Affairs, an international publication of the Caspian Policy Center in Washington, DC.

Needless to say, momentous events have recently occurred, not only in the Caspian region but throughout the entire world.

Although vaccines are becoming available, COVID-19 continues to rage around the globe, claiming many lives and deeply impacting national economies. The recent war between Armenia and Azerbaijan for Nagorno-Karabakh focused international attention on the region and reminded the world of the danger of&nbsp;the prolonged conflicts on the territory of the former Soviet Union. In the United States, the events&nbsp;folowing the November 2020 presidential election have been without precedent, including a mass attack&nbsp;on the U.S. Capitol building on January 6. And yet, our fragile democracy has withstood the test, and Joseph Biden is now the 46th president of the United States.

We begin this edition of Caspian Affairs with six policy recommendations for the new Biden administration for the Caspian Region. We urge greater U.S. attention to this strategic crossroad between&nbsp;Asia and Europe because the issues in the region are so vital for peace and prosperity far beyond the region itself. Two issues are of special importance. Energy &ndash; the traditional hydrocarbons so abundant in the Caspian region as well as the emerging alternates of solar and wind power &ndash; enriches the region but engenders international competition. Extremists and terrorists persist in the region, especially as the decades-long competition for power in Afghanistan remains unsettled, with external players continuing to meddle in Afghan affairs. Because of the economic and political importance of the region, the countriesthere continue to protect their sovereignty and independence, even as they balance their relations with&nbsp;Russia, China, Europe, and the United States.

It&rsquo;s a complex region in a complicated world! We hope that Caspian Affairs will give you deeper insight into this strategic part of the world. As always, we welcome your questions and comments. Please contact us at info@caspianpolicy.org&nbsp;.

Ambassador (ret.) Richard E. Hoagland

Editor-in-Chief 
Caspian Affairs Magazine

U.S. Engagement With the Caspian Region

Dear Readers,

Welcome to the first edition of Caspian Affairs in 2020. Traditionally, this is the time when media pundits make prognostications for the year ahead. But, as all well know, they almost always miss the big stories, simply because no one can see clearly into the future.

What we can do, however, is look at recent significant trends that will be worth following closely in 2020. Here are a few, but I&rsquo;m sure you have others that I haven&rsquo;t mentioned here.

BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE. China&rsquo;s BRI is a policy that has morphed and developed over the years since it was first announced in the Fall of 2013. For the Caspian Sea region, its strong focus is on transportation links and trade facilities &ndash; roads, railroads, and ports. So far in the region, Kazakhstan has benefited the most from China&rsquo;s BRI, and that&rsquo;s likely to continue &ndash; and grow &ndash; simply because of Kazakhstan&rsquo;s immense size and relatively advanced state of development. Yes, the U.S. government has recently launched its Blue Dot Network policy in the region in response to China&rsquo;s BRI &ndash; a laudable initiative but with miniscule funding compared to China. What to watch in the BRI? Inevitably, hard power follows soft power. That&rsquo;s simply global realpolitik and something we should keep an eye on.

U.S.-IRAN RELATIONS. Iran is an essential country in the region &ndash; it&rsquo;s one of five Caspian Sea littoral states and seeks strong economic and political relations with all the countries in the region. Each of the eight countries, to one degree or another, works to balance its relations among Russia, China, the European Union, and the United States. Should the Washington-Tehran conflict heat up this year, no one can predict what will happen &ndash; except that the Caspian Sea countries will most certainly be affected.

UZBEKISTAN. Three years into Shavkat Mirzizoyev&rsquo;s presidency, his economic, political, and diplomatic reforms continue to benefit Uzbekistan and the entire Central Asian region. Although in recent months it has taken a bit of the back burner, his perceived longer-term goal of creating a block of nations among the five is to be lauded and encouraged. Ultimately, it would enhance the political power of the region and improve the livelihoods of the population.

I&rsquo;m sure you have other ideas for those who watch this region closely. We&rsquo;d be delighted to hear your suggestions. We always welcome topics for follow-up. Please contact us at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:info@caspianpolicy.org">info@caspianpolicy.org</a>.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Ambassador (ret.) Richard E. Hoagland

Caspian Affairs Editor-in-Chief

Celebrating the 25th Anniversary “Contract Of The Century”

Dear Readers, Welcome to Caspian Affairs! We at the Caspian Policy Center hope that this publication will help acquaint you with the political, security, infrastructure, economic, and trade and commerce issues and opportunities of the countries of the Caspian Sea region &ndash; Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. These eight independent countries, once the center of the Silk Road immortalized by Marco Polo and others, are the land bridge between China and Europe and today are prime real estate for Beijing&rsquo;s Belt and Road Initiative. At the same time, Russia considers them as part of its &ldquo;privileged sphere of influence,&rdquo; and Iran hovers directly to the south. Despite the major international competition in the region, each of these former Soviet republics, independent now for only 27 years, seeks to balance its relations with Moscow, Beijing, Washington, and Brussels. This is a region on the move and poised for greater success, in large part because of the worldclass oil and natural-gas deposits in a number of the countries and, especially, in the Caspian Sea itself. It has the potential to supply significant amounts of hydrocarbons directly to Europe, as has already been proven by the successful Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan natural-gas pipeline. But the Caspian Sea region is not just about natural resources; even more, it&rsquo;s about human resources, boasting a highly-educated population and skilled work force. The Muslim countries in the region are moderate, secular, and forward looking. Especially promising is that these countries are beginning to explore forming their own regional organization to gain greater prominence on the world stage. We at Caspian Affairs would value your feedback. Please contact us at ca@caspianpolicy.org. To learn more about the region and to see weekly news updates, please visit www.caspianpolicy.org. Ambassador (ret.) Richard E. Hoagland Editor-in-Chief Caspian Affairs Magazine

Capital In The Caspian

Dear Readers, Welcome to the second issue of Caspian Affairs! We at the Caspian Policy Center hope that this publication will help acquaint you with the political, security, infrastructure, economic, and trade and commerce issues and opportunities of the countries of the Caspian Sea region &ndash; Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. These eight independent countries, once the center of the Silk Road immortalized by Marco Polo and others, are the land bridge between China and Europe and today are prime real estate for Beijing&rsquo;s Belt and Road Initiative. At the same time, Russia considers them as part of its &ldquo;privileged sphere of influence,&rdquo; and Iran hovers directly to the south. Despite the major international competition in the region, each of these former Soviet republics, independent now for only 27 years, seeks to balance its relations with Moscow, Beijing, Washington, and Brussels. This is a region on the move and poised for greater success, in large part because of the world-class oil and natural-gas deposits in a number of the countries and, especially, in the Caspian Sea itself. It has the potential to supply significant amounts of hydrocarbons directly to Europe, as has already been proven by the successful Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan natural-gas pipeline. But the Caspian Sea region is not just about natural resources; even more, it&rsquo;s about human resources, boasting a highly-educated population and skilled work force. The Muslim countries in the region are moderate, secular, and forward-looking. Especially promising is that these countries are beginning to explore forming their own regional organization to gain greater prominence on the world stage. We at Caspian Affairs would value your feedback. Please contact us at ca@caspianpolicy.org. To learn more about the region and to see weekly news updates, please visit www.caspianpolicy.org. Ambassador (ret.) Richard E. Hoagland Editor-in-Chief Caspian Affairs Magazine

Caspian Connectivity: The New Silk Road

Dear Readers, Welcome to Caspian Affairs! We at the Caspian Policy Center hope that this publication will help acquaint you with the political, security, infrastructure, economic, and trade and commerce issues and opportunities of the countries of the Caspian Sea region &ndash; Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. These eight independent countries, once the center of the Silk Road immortalized by Marco Polo and others are the land bridge between China and Europe and today are prime real estate for Beijing&rsquo;s Belt and Road Initiative. At the same time, Russia considers them as part of its &ldquo;privileged sphere of influence,&rdquo; and Iran hovers directly to the south. Despite the major international competition in the region, each of these former Soviet republics, independent now for only 27 years, seeks to balance its relations with Moscow, Beijing, Washington, and Brussels. This is a region on the move and poised for greater success, in large part because of the world-class oil and natural-gas deposits in a number of the countries and, especially, in the Caspian Sea itself. It has the potential to supply significant amounts of hydrocarbons directly to Europe, as has already been proven by the successful Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan natural-gas pipeline. But the Caspian Sea region is not just about natural resources; even more, it&rsquo;s about human resources, boasting a highly-educated population and skilled workforce. The Muslim countries in the region are moderate, secular, and forward-looking. Especially promising is that these countries are beginning to explore forming their own regional organization to gain greater prominence on the world stage. We at Caspian Affairs would value your feedback. Please contact us at ca@caspianpolicy.org. To learn more about the region and to see weekly news updates, please visit www.caspianpolicy.org. Ambassador (ret.) Richard E. Hoagland Editor-in-Chief Caspian Affairs Magazine

Defining The Caspian

The COP26 Summit, which took place October 31-November 12, highlighted how Central Asia needs to come to terms with the environmental challenges

COP26: An Opportunity for A Healthier Caspian

Azerbaijan and Iran have agreed to discuss cooperation on the possible gas transit from Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan via Iran, development of oil and gas fields

Trending Headlines from the Caspian, November: 22, 2021

Experts from academia, think tanks, and government discussed the security, economic, political, and cultural impacts of the Taliban takeover in both Afghanistan

CPC and NESA Center Host Inaugural Caspian Security Conference to Discuss the Impacts of the Taliban Resurgence on Afghanistan and Caspian Region

The Uzbek delegation headed by Foreign Minister Adbulaziz Kamilov will meet with European Union counterparts in Brussels on November 16 for the meeting of the

Trending Headlines from the Caspian, November: 15, 2021

The Caspian Policy Center’s Senior Fellow, Ambassador (ret.) Susan Elliott breaks down the history and relations between the Taliban and Tajikistan’s government in this inaugural

The Caspian in Context

So far this year, approximately 1.6 million Tajik citizens, or around one-quarter of Tajikistan’s working-age population, have entered Russia to work.  The number of Tajik labor migrants

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COP26: An Opportunity for A Healthier Caspian

Trending Headlines from the Caspian, November: 22, 2021

CPC and NESA Center Host Inaugural Caspian Security Conference to Discuss the Impacts of the Taliban Resurgence on Afghanistan and Caspian Region

Trending Headlines from the Caspian, November: 15, 2021

The Caspian in Context

Trending Headlines from the Caspian, November: 8, 2021

Caspian Affairs Magazine

U.S. Engagement With the Caspian Region

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