Nov 29, 2012
Energy resources are increasingly shaping politics in Eurasia. Turkey is mending fences with the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq to satisfy its skyrocketing internal demand. New gas discoveries in the Eastern Mediterranean are already having a profound effect on the region’s intricate political relations. The Southern Gas Corridor has the potential to reshape Central and South Eastern Europe’s energy landscape by bringing gas from Azerbaijan to Europe. Shale gas can turn nations hitherto entirely dependent on import into energy producers. How can energy be turned into a force for good instead of bitter rivalry and renewed tensions? How can the risk of conflict be minimized and the incentives for regional cooperation maximized? What role can the countries and the region, the United States, the European Union and Russia play?