Caspian region

The article is devoted to the study of the Russian-American relations in the Caspian region that were entitled “The Great Game”. Analyzing one of the stages of these relations (spring-autumn 2004) that was marked by the higher activity of the V. Putin’s Government, the author has come to the conclusion that “the Kremlin offensive” was stipulated by the presidential campaign in the USA, and the necessity to oppose the China’s penetration into Central Asia.

The article is devoted to the study of forming the new political environment in the Caspian region after the completion of the «Operation Iraqi Freedom» in May 2003. In the context of the American and Russian strategic plans, the attitudes of the Azerbaijan, Georgia and Kazakhstan governments towards Moscow and Washington policies, as well as the influence of the new political environment on the Russian-American relations are also analyzed.

The article explores the development of transport and logistics corridors of the Caspian region through the prism of Kazakhstan’s national interests and geopolitical competition between the leading actors. The author also analyzes the foreign policy of the Republic of Kazakhstan, pointing to the fact that the country managed to maintain a balanced course and to be balanced with all players in the region.

The article deals with the Soviet policy towards the former tsarist concessions in Iran in 1921-27. Despite the renunciation of the former tsarist concessions in Iran, the Soviet leadership de facto tried to control the disposal of the strategically most important of them: either through legal instruments or by force. The analysis of the existing sources on the problem demonstrates that at the heart of the policy there were the strategic interests of the Soviet state.