Study On U.S.Energy Policy In Central Asia And Caspian Sea Region

After the Soviet Union disintegrated, Central Asian and Caspian Sea region countries were independent and recognized by international law as independent state entities. Due to the large oil and natural gas resources of the region, all great powers started paying close attention to these new countries. Under the Clinton Administration, the American energy policy with regards to the Central Asian and Caspian Sea region started to take shape, and continued to evolve and improve under the Bush and Obama administrations.However, previous research both within and outside China primarily took a geopolitic's perspective to analyze American security, democracy and energy policies in the Central Asia and Caspian Sea region, and focused on qualitative research methods. It is hard to evaluate the specific role that the energy of Central Asia and Caspian Sea region occupies in American energy policy. Moreover, research on the attributes of the energy market is not sufficient. Research on the formulation and implementation of American energy policy in the Central Asia and Caspian Sea this far has been mostly conducted from a macro perspective and lacking in-depth detailed analysis. Accordingly, this paper utilizes an approach which combines quantitative and qualitative models to undertake exhaustive and comprehensive research about U.S. energy policy from formulation to implementation both in the regional politics and economic arenas.This paper is divided in three main parts. The first part primarily analyses the objectives of the U.S. energy policy with regards to the countries of Central Asia and Caspian Sea region. These are objectively analyzed by evaluating the U.S. energy security situation and assessing the strategic positioning of the Central Asian countries of the Central Asia and Caspian Sea. The second part describes the U.S. energy policy making and implementation approaches in the region, incorporating America's participation in the development of the energy policy in the region, and analyzing its key characteristics. The third part analyzes and evaluates the outcomes of America's energy policy in the Caspian Sea region.Conclusions of this study:1. The current situation of the U.S. foreign policy in regards to energy security in the Central Asia and Caspian Sea region is that the decision-making for foreign policy in that region is not a top priority; any exaggeration as to the importance of the Central Asia and Caspian Sea region to the United States is not based on fact 2. The energy activities of the U.S. in that region are not directly related to the goals of energy supply for the U.S., rather they are more focused on the potential energy output of that region, and to prevent it from falling into the sole control of another powerful country.3. The U.S. policy in the Caspian Sea region, consisting of political support, economic participation, and the promotion of democracy, is an integrated system backed by political, economic, diplomatic, and military support.4. While the U.S. foreign policy in the Central Asia and Caspian Sea region is still active and effective, the conflicts between energy policy and other diplomatic policy in the area affect the effects of U.S energy policy in Central Asia and Caspian Sea region.