Game Over? Shifting Energy Geopolitics in Central Asia

with Michael Denison, Research Director, Control Risks 

Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Central Asia’s geopolitical salience, from inside and outside the region, has been predicated both on its oil and gas export potential and its proximity to several volatile security complexes. However, rapidly changing patterns of global supply and demand, allied to shifting perceptions of political risk, are altering both the stakes of external engagement and the region’s profile as a zone of geopolitical contestation. This seminar examines where Central Asia is likely to fit into the evolving global energy map and how these shifts might, in turn, reconfigure the region as a geo/political space.