Caspian Policy Center (CPC) is an independent, nonprofit research think tank based in Washington D.C. Economic, political, energy and security issues of the Caspian region constitute the central research focus of the Center. The Caspian region, at the crossroads of the East and the West, is increasingly becoming a crucial area of global interest with its rich natural resources, geopolitical rivalry and economic development. Established in 2016, the Center aims at becoming a primary research and debate platform in the Caspian region with relevant publications, events, projects and media productions to nurture a comprehensive understanding of the intertwined affairs of the Caspian region. With an inclusive, scholarly and innovative approach, the Caspian Policy Center presents a platform where diverse voices from academia, business and policy world from both the region and the nation&rsquo;s capital interact to produce distinct ideas and insights to the outstanding issues of the region.

Changing Tides in the Caspian Region

Dear Readers,

Welcome to this edition of Caspian Affairs!

To say that we live in unprecedented times is often just an empty cliché, but I think it is justified as we look back over the past year. The COVID-19 pandemic sweeping around the world and the related global supply-chain problems, the accelerating consequences of climate change, 
the growth of authoritarianism in a number of countries, the U.S. and NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan and the triumph of the Taliban &ndash; all of this, and more, made 2021 a year that historians will study closely for years to come.

Also in 2021, the Caspian Policy Center completed its fifth year in Washington, DC, and is grateful for its important partners in government, private business, and academia around 
the world. Despite the severe disruptions caused by the pandemic, the CPC and its partners moved forward with important projects like the Trans-Caspian Forum and the Caspian 
Security Conference, as well as many other virtual meetings and discussions. We completed two important visits to the Caspian region while maintaining all necessary health precautions, and we continued to publish and distribute, both on our website, www.caspianpolicy.org, and by email to our members and subscribers, important articles and reports about political, security, economic, and energy news in the greater Caspian region. And based on ideas from our friends around the world, we have continued to make policy recommendations that we believe will make our world a better place.

An important development of the digital age is the emergence of the &ldquo;hive mind&rdquo; that allows people from all over the world to exchange accurate information &ndash; it&rsquo;s important to emphasize accurate &ndash; and to recommend solutions to problems that might not occur to traditional groups of elites in the worlds of government and private-business. This is the democratization of global cooperation, and we believe that the Caspian Policy Center is playing an important role in this process. If ideas have occurred to you that it seems governments and businesses haven&rsquo;t considered, we invite you to contact us at info@caspianpolicy.org so that our experts can consider your suggestions and pass them along to the appropriate recipients, either through our articles and reports, during our various events, or in private conversations. Working together, we can all make our difficult world a better place for the generations to come.

Again, we are grateful for your interest in &ndash; and support for &ndash; the Caspian Policy Center. We look forward to another successful year of collaboration.

Ambassador (ret.) Richard E. Hoagland

Editor-in-Chief 
Caspian Affairs Magazine

30 Years of Diplomatic Relations

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

Caspian Affairs Magazine

Changing Tides in the Caspian Region

30 Years of Diplomatic Relations

U.S. Engagement With the Caspian Region

Celebrating the 25th Anniversary “Contract Of The Century”

Capital In The Caspian

Caspian Connectivity: The New Silk Road

Defining The Caspian

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