United States oil policy in the Caspian: The story of the BTC pipeline from 1998 to June 2001 (Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan)

This thesis looks at US oil policy in the Caspian Sea region from 1998 to 2001. The US policy tries to gain influence in the region by supporting completion of the Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, without having a physical presence in, border on, or a long-standing policy for the Caspian. I looked at the BTC pipeline's construction from the signing of the Istanbul agreement in 1998 to 2001 and analyzed how the US government to influence the region.; I found that the more that the US backed the BTC pipeline as its only alternative in the region it was losing influence. However, when it shifted its focus to developing the regions infrastructure, increasing its ability to exploit its resources, the US's ability to influence increased. In conclusion I gave three policy options that the US government could use that would continue to increase their influence in the Caspian.