The Caspian Sea embodies one of the crucial tensions of international politics. On one hand, its vast deposits of oil and gas beckon political elites and multinational corporations to compete for resource development projects. On the other hand, the Caspian is a closed ecological system. Without concerted management by all of the littoral states–including Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan–rapid, intensive energy development will cause pollution, environmental degradation, and loss of fisheries. These factors, compounded by social and economic polarization caused by mass influx of oil and gas wealth, could seriously undermine the social and economic stability of the entire region. Specifically, the potential consequences include dislocation of littoral communities, migration, ethnic tension, civil unrest, and even interstate military conflict. In order to avoid such outcomes it is important to recognize tradeoffs among economic, environmental and political values. […]
Memo #:
27
Series:
1
PDF:
PDF URL:
http://www.gwu.edu/~ieresgwu/assets/docs/ponars/pm_0027.pdf
