Energy and Power Politics in the Cases of Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan

Abstract

Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan can be defined as Small Powers because their actions in the international arena are relatively limited. At the same time, these two countries have significant reserves of oil and natural gas that allow them to maximize opportunities and use their potential for achieving national interests. The availability of energy is an important driver that affects the formation of their foreign policies. Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan are geographically located on opposite sides of the Caspian Sea. This geographic feature affects their energy strategy and foreign policy. Although energy field exploitation and the formation of export routes appear as a common strategy; there emerge differences in terms of timing and partnership development and level of success in implementation. This article is a comparative study on the cases of Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, in which it elaborates on how common and different conditions of the energy factor can affect the capacity of these two Small Powers

Keywords

• Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, small power, foreign policy, energy policy, pipelines.

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