خطوط انتقال نفت گاز آسیای مرکزی و قفقاز از منظر منافع ملی ایران

the quest for power has formed much of the world history especially in 20th and 21st centuries. oil (energy) particularly after industrial revolution has been a tool for conquest and power and has been transformed to a geopolitical issue. from a geopolitical point of view this has been the case for the last two centuries in central asia and caucasus. central asia and caucasus has always been important. from the middle ages to the end of the 19th century, while the central asia and caucasus was part of the russian empire, the oil-bearing areas of baku were producing half of the worlds oil supplies. in world war ii, during his campaign against russia, hitler tried to capture baku and the caucasus n oil fields as part of his strategy for world dominationnotwithstanding the volume of the central asia and caucasus real reserves, struggle for control of remaining hydrocarbon resources of every corner of the world in this case central asia and caucasus has enormous importance for the world powers. therefore the emergence of the caspian and central asia as a new frontier of energy and development in the1990s was viewed as one of the most surprising events following the collapse of the soviet union. this is of course the heart of the matter in the new great game, compared to which the original 19th-century great game between czarist russia and the british empire seem a childish game. from iran national security and interest perspective the formation of pipelines in the region, is of very high importance, because it attracts or have attracted other world powers to irans northern borders so limiting irans geopolitics in caucasus n and central asia. that is why; in the game of development of the various possible pipelines to connect the landlocked caucasus and central asian countries to outer world, iran has claimed its role not merely as a transit route, but also as a final market for the regions energy. tehran not only has offered the cheapest transit route in its region for oil and gas, but also to be competitive from a security and economic point of view. this is because, as regards to transnational pipelines, the role of iran also as a final user of caspian oil and gas could represent a further guarantee that oil and gas flows would not be interrupted. in addition any development in caucasus and central asia will affect the unresolved legal status of the caspian sea thus directly affect irans security for foreseeable future so understanding the delicacies of dynamics involved in pipeline geopolitics, is the prime objective of this research. it should be emphasized that throughout this paper energy is use as something which add to a countrys power and influence not just an economic asset. if we look to gas and oil resources in this light it can be said oil and gas in the 21st century is excalibur of king arthur for world powers to prove they are worthy of universal leadership. that is why despite irans extensive effort to prove its transit routes are more secure and economical have fallen on deaf ears.