Caspian Sea Region and Oil

A modern Silk Road or

The next conflict zone?

Caspian Sea Region-Historical Background

Spread of Islam

Mongol Empire

Ottoman Empire

The Caucasus

Chechnya

Conflict in Chechnya

• Mid 19th Century: mid Caucasian wars with Russian Empire. 50 years to subdue Chechens

• Sufism• Bolshevik Revolution: promised autonomy• Soviets: NOT. 1944: 100,000 Chechens (along

with 7 other ethnic groups deported to Kazakstan)• Repression of Islam in USSR, but not in Chechnya• Wahhabism-linked to Bin Laden• 1994-1996 war: stalemate• 1999: war resurfaces due to bombings in Moscow

(politically determined?)– Young Russian conscripts– Enormous devastation and ruthlessness by Russia

Russia invades Chechnya

Grozny, Chechnya after 1999-2000 bombing

Russia’s motivation for persistence

• Nationalism– 1st domino in potential string of secessions:

• Dagestan, Ingushetia, Osettia, Tatarstan in north

• Fear of Islamic world– Would allow development of another Islamic state on

its frontier

– Wahhabism and political Islams

• Oil: – Oil + Gas= 40% of Russian export value

– = 44% of gov’t revenues

                                               

          

Prisoner of the Mountains