During XIX century 2 great empires (British & Zarist Russia) where fighting for the dominance of Central Asia Region (from turkey to India) and this was call “Great Game”, now this region is a key element because of all Gas & Oil reserves, making it a battlefield of USA, Russia, and China. Even that Russia lost most of its influence in the region (4 million of kilometers2 and 50 millions of people) with the breakdown of USSR, now Russia under the leadership of Comrade Putin all the country has been rebuild and retaken most of the power lost and its rightful place.
Azerbaijan Oil lake.
Dick Cheney has been traveling on Kazakhastan (2006) and other neighbors to secure those oil reserves and offer US “help”, Cheney has also been talking against Russia saying that “Russia is using all his Energetic reserves blackmailing the entire region and intimidating”.
Many of the countries in that region are autocratic and all the presidents has been there since the fall of the Soviet Union (15 years ago), USA doesn’t care that they don’t have any democracy they only want to secure Oil for their American Way of Life.
Shangai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was created in 1991 by China, Russia, Kazakhastan, Uzbekistán, Kirgystan y Tadjikistan to secure the interest in the region one of their best movements was to expel US from a base in Uzbekistán used in the war against Taliban.
USA consider that organization a bad influence to the region because it invites most of the members to China and show them: "Look I have a communist government and autoritary and my economy is open and everything is ALL RIGHT", Kazakhastan is a great example the president there give money and some state contracts only to his family but even with that he has made the country grow more than 9.1% last year, this country in the past was a Soviet Gulag and nuclear dump and test site.
FACTS
· Caspian region has between 17,000 and 44,000 millions of barrels but in all Great Game region it might be 80 and 150 mil millions of barrels
· SCO continue getting more influence inviting India and Pakistan and Iran as observer
· Russian Oil Export are 15.2% of world oil with reserves of 68,000 millions of barrels and nearly 25.8% of World Gas
· For 2010 the region could give 5% to World oil production.
Caspian Sea Oil Data
Russia Reinvented Empire