That is, minus Iran. The leaders of Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan met in Aktau to, as they say, ‘informally’ discuss the resources in the Caspian Sea.
No major agreements were signed, because they likely wouldn’t be honored internationally anyway without Iran, but an important message was sent. As Iran is having major domestic unrest and is focused on that for an extended period of time, the post-Soviet states can gather and show a united front. The 4 countries want to have the Caspian designated a sea, for each side to control its own coast rather than divide the resources equally, which Iran, having the shortest coastline, would rather have. Domestic unrest is foreign opportunity.
However, the summit is really just a show of unity. Turkmenistan has claimed gas fields that Azerbaijan disputes, and is taking them to court over it. Russia wants to maintain a monopoly on transporting Central Asian gas and therefore opposes laying pipelines across the Caspian. So with all these crisscrossing interests and oppositions, progress will be slow and posturing frequent.
A few months ago, I wrote about the early stages of the conflict in Ukraine through the lens of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. While it appears likely that the war will carry on into the foreseeable future, enough time has passed for us to make an honest assessment of each side’s relative […]
The Ukrainian Army has made dramatic strides in the last few weeks. Ukraine’s tactical commanders have outfoxed their Russian counterparts, and by issuing a feint towards the south the UA has been able to earn substantial gains in the north of their country. The impact of these efforts have been compounded by the steady stream […]
In mid-May the Irish political party, Sinn Féin, won the plurality of seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Many American readers might not fully understand the significance of Sinn Féin’s political victory- but rest assured that subjects of the United Kingdom and a wide range of political movements the world over have heard the message […]
The first wave of the Russian offensive in Ukraine has fallen short of Russian autocrat Vladmir Putin’s ambitions. Most analysts deduced that Putin had hoped to achieve a decapitation strike of the Ukrainian government- taking Kiev and replacing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zolinski with a pro-Kremlin voice. Kiev has been threatened repeatedly through the course of […]
On the weekend of March 26th, the notorious MS-13 gang went on a massive killing spree in El Salvador which left more than 70 people dead by Sunday. Even for a country where powerful gangs hold massive sway, this recent tragedy stands out considering that it was the bloodiest day on record since the civil […]
