International Relations (The Caspian Sea Dispute) Essay

International Relations (The Caspian Sea Dispute) - Essay Example The interest encompassing oil extraction in Caspian region are commonly existent in several countries of the world in view of its significance to each individual country's benefit. For instance, the Caspian states regard the extraction of oil as a bonanza of future riches, potency and control. However, Caspian states are not the only ones to conceive these purviews, beside these interests are also cherished by the giant international oil companies such as BP, Amoco and Exxon etc with a view to boosting profitability. Besides, countries like United States, Russia, China, Iran and Turkey. All guided by the objective to gain maximum possible geopolitical advantages out of the region's oil exploration and exploitation. Hence, this paper sharpens the significance of this region for several interested parties and also explores the arousing international level conflicts concerning the geographic expedition and utilization of Caspian Sea's abounding oil resources. The internal and external politics in the Caspian region have led to the enormously growing contention among several countries. The internal importance of oil reserves in the region arises in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, where the oil is expected to free the countries from the claws of poverty, economic backwardness and Russian influence. The other country having substantial concerns for the region is Russia, which regards the exploration of oil in the region to be severely yoked with Russian 'internal security' matters. Finally the Caspian region is of international interest because of the region's potential to have ample reserves of unexplored oil, which can shape the fortune of several countries connected with it. As Frank Viviano (1998, pA1) propounds, "The oil boom in the Caspian basin promises to alter everything in its path- to erect a new El Dorado in desert wasted, fuel the economies of US and Europe, and re-order the global economy. It will also imperil thousands of years of tradition, setting its defenders against the tide of a glittering but deeply uncertain future." The foremost problem with the Caspian Sea's oil resources is that these reserves are not distributed equally across the sea, which has inseminated conflicts among the countries bordering it on the issue of maximum access to amplest oil. The major dispute held by the countries bordering the Caspian Sea i.e., Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Iran is the application of international law for the usage of Caspian resources, arguing on the treatment of Caspian as sea or lake. Brice Clagett (1998, p4) illustrate that if the Caspian is to be handled as sea, the eminent beneficiaries would be Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, as the resources of the sea would then be utilized by each country to the extent of a specified zone off the seashore under the international law. Both Russia and Iran, who had been historically sharing the Caspian Sea reserves, do not contain sufficient oil resources within their specified limits off the seashore. Therefore, they prefer the Caspian to be treat ed as a lake, enabling the countries to equally share the resources beneath the sea. Besides Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and other Caspian States, the most evident interest in Caspian Sea reserves is that of the Russian. Ozden Oktav (2005, p21) illuminates that "Russia has many economic and