The known volume of Caspian oil and gas reserves is immense, and new discoveries are reported regularly. With deposits of oil alone totaling perhaps 200 billion tons, the Caspian stands to become the third most important source of international reserves in the coming decade (after the Persian Gulf and Siberia). Yet for Russia the blessings are mixed. Russia's own share of Caspian deposits is marginal; by far the largest deposits fall within the national zones claimed by Kazakstan, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan. The vigorous competition for oil wealth on the part of Western, Japanese, and Middle Eastern companies is disquieting to many as a reflection of Russia's declining influence. Moreover, it raises the danger of severe environmental degradation. The question, then, is what Moscow–and beyond the center, what the Russian provinces of Astrakhan, Dagestan, and Kalmykiia–want to do about the energy boom. […]
Memo #:
8
Series:
1
PDF:
PDF URL:
http://www.gwu.edu/~ieresgwu/assets/docs/ponars/pm_0008.pdf
