The presentation will analyze the conditions under which states use energy trade to promote foreign policy goals, focusing on natural gas trade. It will discuss use of energy trade as a foreign policy tool by natural gas supplier, consumer, and transit states. The speaker will discuss the  interaction between natural gas trade and political relations between trading states.

Please join us! Coffee and tea provided. Everyone is welcome, but admittance will be on a first come–first served basis.

Caspian energy production and export is entering its second phase.  With the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC), Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum (BTE), and the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) operating fully, regional and international focus has shifted to examining the second phase of Caspian energy production and export: Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz Two, additional markets for Turkmen natural gas, and export of Kazakhstan's natural gas. A number major geopolitical question marks will affect the destiny of these energy sources:  Russia's reassertiveness in the Caspian region, instability in Iran, transit disputes with Turkey, unclear U.S. policy toward the region, and amplification of the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict resolution process.

Dr. Brenda Shaffer will discuss these geopolitical quagmires and their impact on the prospects for a new round of major production and export projects from the Caspian region. 

Dr. Brenda Shaffer will present the arguments from her forthcoming book Limits of Culture: Islam and Foreign Policy

A panel discussion about U.S.-Caucasian security cooperation featuring senior security experts from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.