Shirin Akiner is Lecturer in Central Asian Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, UK.

'This is a stimulating and informative book about an exciting region full of opportunities for the bold and the clever. It is a book best dipped into but should not be missed by anyone with an interest in the region.' - The Journal of Energy Literature'This impeccably designed volume is very timely, as a sharp spike in oil prices brings international attention yet again to the potential sources of supply in the Caspian areas.' - Journal of Peace Research

• Acknowledgements Abbreviations Preface Maps Notes on Authors Background1. Caspian Intersections: Contextual Introduction 2. Legal History of the Caspian Sea 3. Negotiations on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea 1992-1996: View from Kazakhstan 4. Geopolitics of Hydrocarbons in Central and Western Asia 5. Pipeline Politics 6. Caspian Energy Development7. Natural Resources, Governance and Transition in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan 8. The Role of Oil in the Development of Azerbaijan9. Production Sharing Agreements and National Oil Funds 10. Azerbaijan: Policy Priorities towards the Caspian Sea 11. Turkmenistan's Caspian Resources and its International Political Economy12. Kazakhstan: Oil, Politics an the New 'Great Game'13. Jockeying for Power in the Caspian Region: Turkey versus Iran and Russia 14. Division of the Caspian Sea: Iranian Policies and Concerns 15. Russia's Policy in the Caspian Sea Region: Reconciling Economic and Security Agendas 16. US Involvement in the Business and Politics of the Caspian Region 17. Japan's Eurasian Diplomacy: Power Politics, Resource Diplomacy, or Romanticism? 18. Militarisation of the Caspian 19. Chechnya: Post-Referendum Prospects for Normalisation 20. Whither South Caucasus: To Prosperity or to Conflict? 21. Environmental Security in the Caspian Sea 22. Ten Years On: Achievements, New Concerns, Future Prospects and Challenges Index