Geopolitical Developments in the Caspian Sea Region and Change of Great Powers’ Role at this Area

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 - Assistant Professor of Political Sciences, Imam Khomeini International University, Gazvin, Iran

2 - M.A Student of International Relations, Imam Khomeini International University, Gazvin, Iran

Abstract

Great Powers had limited presence in the Caspian Regions at the era of former Soviet Union. The Soviet Union’s sovereignty embraced Northern, Eastern and Western Regions of the Caspian Region. Iran had its sovereignty over the southern region of the Caspian Sea. Iran was under the influence of the United States until the Islamic Revolution. But thereafter, the influence of United States ceased and with respect to the Islamic Republic’s Policies, no country could have its presence as a predominant influential power at this region. Therefore, in the years prior to disintegration of the Soviet Union, due to sovereignty of the Soviet Union on a vast part of the Caspian Region and due to United States’ reluctance to encounter the Soviet Union, and also recognition of the super powers’ spheres of influence, the great powers played a stabilizing role at the Caspian Sea Region; but after the collapse of the former Soviet Union, numerous powers made their presence at the region. Existence of several powers has provided the ground for many competitions and challenges at the region. In such a situation, Great Powers play as instability factors in the region.
The aim of this article is to define such change of roles of the Great Powers after the collapse of the Soviet Union and occurrence of geopolitical developments at the Caspian Sea Region. To this end, meanwhile introducing influential powers at the Caspian Sea Region and investigating their goals and interests in the years prior to and after the collapse of the Soviet Union, we have compared their roles and the effects of such roles. Through this investigation, we have tried to deal with the great powers’ different roles and effects during the two aforesaid eras. The result of this investigation is that although the intervention and intrusive system at the Caspian Sea in the years prior to disintegration of the Soviet Union had a stabilizing role in the region, after the years of the collapse of the Soviet Union this system has changed its role to an intrusive system that plays as an instability factor in the region.
 
 

Keywords

Geopolitics Quarterly
Volume 7, Issue 23
September 2011
Pages 136-173

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History

  • Receive Date: 08 March 2011
  • Revise Date: 25 January 2018
  • Accept Date: 25 January 2018

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