Mixing geopolitics and business: How ruling elites in the Caspian states justify their choice of export pipelines

Abstract

As political elites in the Caspian countries see themselves as actors who determine the fate of their countries and not as mere objects of international power struggles or as managers of pipeline projects, this contribution examines how domestic elites assess different pipeline projects. Based on close to 1,500 TV reports from national TV stations, which are seen as the mouthpiece of the ruling elites, we analyze the arguments surrounding oil and gas pipeline debate and construction in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.