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One important geopolitical consequence of the demise of the Soviet Union was the rise of intense political and commercial competition for control of the vast energy resources of the newly independent and vulnerable states of the Caucasus and Central Asia. The fact that the three countries which share the majority of the region's energy and resources, namely Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, are landlocked makes them depend on their immediate neighbors for access to the World markets. Foreign policy concerns related to the regional balance of power, national security, and potential economic benefit have led four external powers to strive for export pipelines to be built across their territory: Russia, Iran, Turkey, and China. A fifth country, the United States has increased its own efforts to influence the pipeline derby. The alternatives to exporting oil and gas through the Russian pipeline system are exporting through war-torn Afghanistan, through Iran, or by...

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