Tangled Pipelines: Turkey's Role in Energy Export Plans

This paper looks at Turkey's aspirations to be an energy hub for oil and natural gas exports from the Caspian Sea region and beyond. After exploring the intense politics surrounding the demarcation and siting of export pipelines from the Caspian Sea, the author goes on to discuss the complex geopolitics of the region. The article analyzes the impact of the summer 2008 Georgian-Russian war on Turkey's hopes and will illustrate the contradictions in Ankara's energy policies. The author argues that Turkey must balance its aspirations to be central to regional export schemes and its increasing energy dependence on Russia.