The Great Game Revisited: The Quest for Central Asian Oil

GimmieTheScoop.com

Rudyard Kipling first coined the phrase "Great Game" in famed novel Kim to depict the nineteenth century contest between Russia and Britain over Central Asia. The area acted as a buffer to the expansion of the Russian Empire into India. In the twentieth century Russia appropriated the region, only Afghanistan remained out of its sphere. The trophy for Russia was access to the warm water ports of the Gulf, Mediterranean, and the Indian Ocean. The objective of the British was to maintain Russian influence from extending south, to guard the sea routes to India, and to preserve British naval preeminence worldwide. The game was played out over 150 years ago between these two great empires. But empires fade and new ones ascend, but the old ambitions never fade away. However, this time there are several new players in the great game, each desiring control over the natural wealth of Central Asia.

Central Asia is composed of countries that were formerly part of the Soviet Empire: Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan. The Caucasian republics are composed of Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. Also, bordering the Caspian Sea are Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Iran, and Turkmenistan. The investors and the men who lead these former Soviet states are a combination of egos, huge ambition, and huge monies that make a highly potent mixture. Also, if another ingredient is added, the mixture becomes even more potent; the Caspian zone's strategic importance. The Central Asian republics are a land bridge between Europe and Asia, Islam and Christianity, and a buffer between Russia and NATO.