Turkmen Energy Relations With China And Russia

The political stability during the hundred years of the Pax Mongolica led to more and safer trade on the Silk Roads. Under the protection of the Mongols, goods and ideas moved between China and the

Study of the Silk Road has made it obvious that Eurasian history was more than isolated histories of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Europe, India, Southeast Asia, and China. In reality, for several thousand years, the Silk Road ensured that these regions were never

The Soviet Union was a socialist state located on the Eurasian continent, which existed from 1922 to 1991. It was a conglomeration of a number of subnational Soviet republics with its government and economy centralized. The Soviet Union was based on a one-party system under the governorship of the Communist Party, with Moscow as its capital. Since the decline of the Soviet Union, Russia has been on the forefront seeking to bring about a resurgence of the socialist state. Current political events in Europe and in particular, those that revolve around Russia, demonstrate efforts directed towards reviving the Soviet Union. In more than one occasion, news releases have alleged that Vladimir Putin has plans underway to reignite the Soviet Union gradually and that the annexation of Crimea is evidence of this. In an article, journalist Adam Withnall noted that “…Vladimir Putin will not stop trying to expand Russia until he has “conquered” Belarus, the Baltic states and Finland,” (para. 1). Thus, there is increased tension in countries around the region, which was initially considered as being part of the Soviet Union. In truth, the Ukrainian revolution is demonstrative of Russia’s attempt to reignite the Soviet Union following the acquisition of Crimea, which will result to limiting the influence and expansion of NATO and the United States in Europe. Thus, Russia’s motivation to expand her influence

Russia is the largest country in the world. It borders two oceans, spans two continents, and its landscapes range from Arctic tundra to subtropical beaches. Much of that land is undeveloped and uninhabited. Russia’s borders encompass twice the surface area of the United States, but has a third of the population. Natural gas and oil are abundant in Russia because of its sheer size and the variety of climates. West Siberia is Russia’s main oil-producing region and has several large oil fields, one of which has been producing since 1969 (EIA). West Siberia’s population is mainly concentrated into a couple cities, leaving much of the land untouched. This is the prime

The largest nation in the world, Russia has demonstrated acts comparable to the Soviet Union. For instance, their military agreements with the Syrian national army (which believe in the oppression of citizens and the rule of a totalitarian dictator named Bashar al-Assad in the civil-war stricken Syria) have inflicted controversy in the UN Security Council. Furthermore, their invasion in Ukraine’s Crimean territory and obstinacy against the UN resulted in the Security Council and NATO sanctioning Russia for its civil

Uzbekistan is a country in Central Asia that was formerly a part of the Soviet Union. Uzbekistan declared its independence in 1991 before the fall of the Soviet Union. Because of the short amount of time in which Uzbekistan has been an independent country it is often considered to be a country in transition. This means that while there are policies and procedures in place, including some that may have carried over from their time as part of the Soviet Union, the policies are often changing in relation to the current needs.

The Caucasus is one of the most complicated and sensitive regions in the world: with many different ethnic groups, religious allegiances, and conflicts. It consists of three independent republics: Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia; and Russian parts of Caucasus. Russia became a significant player in Caucasus after it conquered Astrakhan region in 1556. But complete control of Caucasus by Russia was achieved only in the nineteenth century after its conquest of Georgia and Azerbaijan. The Tsarist Russia did not pay much attention to the needs and desires of the people who lived in the region and hoped to Russianize them. Russia lost control over Caucasus for a short period of time after the communist revolution in 1917 but regained

Even as Reagan struggled with communism in Central America, however, the Soviet Union was disintegrating. In reply to serious economic conflict and arising political spawn in the USSR, Premier Mikhail Gorbachev (1931-) started in 1985 and established two policies that redefined Russia’s relationship with the rest of the world. Starting from 1989, every state with a communist state in the region takes over its government with a non-communist

Purely geopolitically, Russia (particularly European Russia) along with its environs is viewed with the utmost importance in multiple schools of thinking. It dominates the “pivot area” hypothesized to be essential to dominance over Eurasia in Sir Halford Mackinder’s “Heartland theory” while Spykman’s “Rimland theory” focuses on the prevention of Russia’s naval capability and was said to have influenced Truman’s doctrine of Containment (that in itself led to numerous brutal proxy conflicts such as Vietnam and Korea). Strong effective government in this resource-rich vast area is widely cited as necessary for maintaining global peace. Hence, the breakdown of established order in such a sought after “global heartland” is rightly feared, as it could lead aggressively opportunistic players coming to positions of strength in the region, or instead provoke all out civil war both creating veritable “catastrophes” for the region so in this sense Putin was correct; the immediate aftermath of the fall of Communism was certainly expected to lead to considerable turmoil and, indeed, did so.

Russia (Russian Federation), a powerful and varied nation set in Eurasia. Spanning over seven-teen million square kilometers, Russia is nearly twice the size of the United States (CIA, 2016). Over one-hundred and forty-two million people call this nation their home (CIA, 2016). Considered a modern super power, Russia’s influence over Eurasia has fundamentally shaped the course of the region and surrounding nations. A proud country with a difficult history, Russia like most, is a product of the success and failures of its past. Much of what defines the Russian culture stems from the previous world wars. Although the impacts of these events do not solely define the Russian culture, the impacts they made are undeniable. Despite the

Russia’s legislature approved the forced transfer of certain fields to government-controlled firms. In 2006, Shell was forced to transfer an expansion project to Gazprom. That same year, concern over the possible revocation of the license to the Kovykta gas field and Gazprom’s ability to block construction of a pipeline to China, forced TNK-BP to sell its stake in the field. Gazprom purchased the stake for less than a third of its real value. The Russian government had also been known to both privatize or nationalize firms and rig auctions in order to favor government-controlled corporations.

After declaring independence from the USSR, and still financially distressed after the end of the Nagorno-Karabakh War in May 1994, the government of Azerbaijan, then headed by current President Ilham Aliyev’s father Heydar Aliyev, opened its numerous oil fields in an agreement with several transnational oil corporations in a contract known as the “Contract of the Century.” This contract, passed only 7 months after the end of the war, required the agreeing oil corporations to invest heavily in developing and modernizing the Azeri oil industry. Azerbaijan’s role as an oil producer was critical to these Western countries, helping them reduce their reliance on Russian or Middle Eastern oil production.

This forced Ukrainian companies to make illegal gas diversion from transit pipelines. In 1994, an intergovernmental agreement was made on the gas issue and it included a clause that stated that Gazprom would participate in the process of privatization of gas enterprises and others in other sectors (Nichol and Steven 1-6). It was agreed that Gazprom would take a 51 percent stake in the pipeline infrastructure. In 1995, the two countries agreed to come up with a cooperative company that they would call Gaztransit so as to operate the Ukrainian gas assets in exchange for a debt write off. Neither of the agreements was implemented, in fact, Ukraine adopted a law called the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine that disallowed the privatization of any gas and oil asset in Ukraine (Brzezinski and Brzezins 150).

Russia’s Return as a Superpower. There are concerns that Russia may once again “reassert itself militarily” (Wood 7). After the original fall of communism in 1991, Russia seemed to be on a path to democracy. Currently the notion of a democratic Russia seems to be fading as Russia “has been centralizing more and more power in the Kremlin” (Putin 2). Regional governors, who were once elected by the people, are now being appointed by Moscow.

The history of Sino-Soviet relations can be traced back hundreds of years, starting with the initial Mongol invasion and devastation of the Kievan Rus’ principalities in the mid-thirteenth century. With time, the rise of the Russian Empire and Czarist rule reversed the infrastructural and cultural destruction caused by the Mongol hordes; by the advent of the twentieth century, the reformed Russian state had begun encroaching on Chinese territory while holding a very strong, influential grasp on the slowly collapsing Imperial Chinese regime. However, with the success of the Russian Revolution in 1917, the creation of the Soviet Union, and the institution of a communist government and administration, the nature of