Rajan Menon is Monroe J. Rathbone Professor of International Relations, Lehigh University and adjunct professor, Harriman Institute, Columbia University.Robert Ebel is director, Energy and National Security Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The 'Caspian' no longer refers merely to a sea, but has become a new geopolitical concept denoting Eurasian rivalries over energy and geopolitics in the region. Amid a welter of recent books that often hype the topic with little professional depth, this volume offers a welcome contrast characterized by realism in its exploration of the shifting balance of economics, politics, ethnic groups, religion, societies, and geopolitics by some of the savviest authors around on these subjects. One of the best books on the outlook for this complex region.

• Chapter 1 Introduction: Energy, Development, and Conflict in the Caspian Sea RegionChapter 2 The Caspian Region in the Twenty-first CenturyChapter 3 Crude Calculation: OPEC Lessons for Caspian LeadersChapter 4 Azerbaijan: The Politization of OilChapter 5 Kazakhstan: The Long-Term Costs of Short-Term GainsChapter 6 Turkmenistan's Energy: A Source of Wealth or InstabilityChapter 7 Regional Cooperation in Central Asia and the South CaucasesChapter 8 U.S.-Iranian Relations: Competition or Cooperation in the Caspian Sea BasinChapter 9 Paradigms for Russian Policy in the Caspian RegionChapter 10 The Afghan Civil War: Implications for Central Asian StabilityChapter 11 China's Interest in Central Asia: Energy and Ethnic SecurityChapter 12 Turkey's Caspian Interests: Economic and Security Interests

Rajan Menon is Monroe J. Rathbone Professor of International Relations, Lehigh University and adjunct professor, Harriman Institute, Columbia University.Robert Ebel is director, Energy and National Security Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The 'Caspian' no longer refers merely to a sea, but has become a new geopolitical concept denoting Eurasian rivalries over energy and geopolitics in the region. Amid a welter of recent books that often hype the topic with little professional depth, this volume offers a welcome contrast characterized by realism in its exploration of the shifting balance of economics, politics, ethnic groups, religion, societies, and geopolitics by some of the savviest authors around on these subjects. One of the best books on the outlook for this complex region.

• Chapter 1 Introduction: Energy, Development, and Conflict in the Caspian Sea RegionChapter 2 The Caspian Region in the Twenty-first CenturyChapter 3 Crude Calculation: OPEC Lessons for Caspian LeadersChapter 4 Azerbaijan: The Politization of OilChapter 5 Kazakhstan: The Long-Term Costs of Short-Term GainsChapter 6 Turkmenistan's Energy: A Source of Wealth or InstabilityChapter 7 Regional Cooperation in Central Asia and the South CaucasesChapter 8 U.S.-Iranian Relations: Competition or Cooperation in the Caspian Sea BasinChapter 9 Paradigms for Russian Policy in the Caspian RegionChapter 10 The Afghan Civil War: Implications for Central Asian StabilityChapter 11 China's Interest in Central Asia: Energy and Ethnic SecurityChapter 12 Turkey's Caspian Interests: Economic and Security Interests