Caspian Sea and the East-West Geo-economic Considerations

After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the formation of a new world order، the nature of power changed from exclusively military to a combination of military، economic and political one; and consequently the new discourse of geo-economics emerged alongside the geo-politics. Since then، most countries have tried to maximize their relative power positions in the international system by emphasizing economic development and pursuit of national economic interest. In this regard، the role of energy as a determining factor in development became more significant than ever; and the Great Powers became more attracted to the energy rich-regions. The author tries to demonstrate the special and unique position of Caspian Sea basin as a geo-economic balancer in the world. Due to its vast gas and oils reserves، its location in the East-West corridor، and considering the security vulnerability of the Persian Gulf، the Caspian Sea plays a geo-economic balancer role in the world. In a case study of energy security of the U. S. and China، special attention is paid to the role of Caspian Sea region for Russia، China and the United States.