ANALYSIS: Central Asia: Russia and United States intensify energy competition

analysis

ANALYSIS: Central Asia: Russia and United States intensify energy competition

By SRI ⋅ September 8, 2008 ⋅

(EurasiaNet) - A three-sided diplomatic scrum is intensifying in Central Asia, as US, Russian and Chinese officials are stepping up efforts to wring energy-export deals from regional leaders.

Russia’s incursion into Georgia has helped stoke the diplomatic competition by appearing to alter the geopolitical balance of power in the Caspian Basin. Russia is seen as the most aggressive diplomatic actor in the unfolding struggle, which started escalating rapidly with the end of the summer season. Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin, many experts believe, is now more determined than ever to use the strategic momentum gained in Georgia to try to reduce US political and economic influence in the region. Washington is determined to maintain its position in the Caspian Basin, while China is quietly, but persistently making economic inroads in Central Asia, with the main aim of securing the energy the country needs to keep its economy growing.

A major focal point of the scrum has been Uzbekistan, a country that has been close to Russia, but which has been seen as moving back toward the United States in recent months. For now, Russia seems to have arrested Tashkent’s geopolitical drift. During a September 1-2 visit to Tashkent, Putin secured a verbal commitment from Uzbek President Islam Karimov on a variety of projects, most notably the construction of yet another natural gas pipeline, this one with a projected capacity of 26-30 billion cubic meters, and linking Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan to Russia.