scholarly journals China’s “One Belt, One Road Initiative”: challenges and requirements for its successful implementation in Central Asia

2017 ◽  
pp. 127-138
Author(s):  
Francisco Gómez Martos
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Central Asia ◽  
Former Soviet Union ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Regional Cooperation ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Trade Integration ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Intergovernmental Cooperation

Twenty five years after the dissolution of the former Soviet Union and the reemergence of the Central Asian Republics as independent States, this region continues to be the scene of rivalries amongst the big powers (Russia, China, the European Union, USA, India, Japan, Turkey and Iran) competing in a sort of a “new Grand Game” to increase their geopolitical and economic influence in the region. Its geography, diverse and rich natural resources, like oil and gas, explain the ongoing hidden rivalries. Despite its common historical and cultural past, Central Asia constitutes a heterogeneous region with a multiethnic and multi-linguistic composition and a low degree of physical, economic and trade integration. The lack of mutual trust, the persisting tension over borders and the use and sharing of natural resources, as well as different levels of economic performance have so far jeopardized the development of genuine regional cooperation. Against this background, the idea behind the Chinese OBOR Initiative to develop rapid transportation, if well implemented, could theoretically, by improving interregional connectivity, develop the Central Asia regional market and foster intergovernmental cooperation and people-to-people contacts within the region. In this context, could we expect that the ambitious Chinese OBOR Initiative will boost geopolitical stability and promote shared economic and trade benefits in Central Asia? What are the conditions for that need to be fulfilled?The author analyzes in depth certain crucial political, economic and institutional requirements for the successful implementation of the OBOR Strategy and concludes, however, that three years after the launching of this crucial instrument of the Chinese “globalization without democracy” model, its implementation faces major problems and thus raises more doubts than certainties.

Freshwater, Fish and the Future: Proceedings of the Global Cross-Sectoral Conference

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Central Asia ◽  
Former Soviet Union ◽  
Agricultural Development ◽  
Regional Cooperation ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Military Conflict ◽  
Small Scale Fisheries ◽  
Eurasian Economic Union ◽  
Generation Capacity

<em>Abstract</em> .—The successor states to the former Soviet Union located in Central Asia and the Caucasus have substantial challenges in promoting sustainable inland and small-scale fisheries. This is particularly true due to the impact of the energy–water nexus that characterizes the domestic development challenges of the eight countries. Soviet policies on water usage for misguided agricultural development, including the cotton monoculture effort in Central Asia, depleted important water flows to traditional fisheries while more recent pressure for increased hydroelectric generation capacity within new national borders threatens to disrupt traditional fisheries and wildlife habitat. International tensions deriving from competing claims to river flows constrain regional cooperation and portend political and perhaps military conflict. There has been progress in regional economic integration among the Caspian basin littoral states, and in the context of the Economic Cooperation Organization, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the emerging Eurasian Economic Union, but suspicions as to motives held by key sponsoring states remain, as do perceived national interest conflicts. This paper explores the constraints and prospects for regional cooperation and governance, taking into account regional and bilateral tensions and drivers. Recommendations for future progress are proposed.

EXPERIENCE, PROSPECTS AND PROBLEMS OF COOPERATION BETWEEN CHINA AND TURKMENISTAN IN THE FIELDOF NATURAL GAS

2019 ◽  
pp. 323-329
Author(s):  
Y. JIA
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Central Asia ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Multilateral Cooperation ◽  
Industrial Chain ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Gas Consumption ◽  
Slow Progress ◽  
Natural Gas Consumption

Since 2007, the use of natural gas in China depends on the import, and with an increase in natural gas consumption, gas imports are also constantly growing. In 2018, Chinas natural gas imports approached 100 billion cubic meters, which is 70 times more than in 2006. In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to the use of natural gas in China. Turkmenistan is Chinas main source of pipeline gas imports, and China is Turkmenistans largest exporter of natural gas. In the framework of the traditional model of oil and gas cooperation, China and Turkmenistan are facing such problems as the uniform content of cooperation, lack of close ties in the field of multilateral cooperation and slow progress in the development of the entire industrial chain. Cooperation between China and Central Asia in the field of oil and gas is increasingly affecting the nerves of other countries, except the five countries of Central Asia, but including Russia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Iran and other countries of the Middle East, Japan, South Korea, etc. and even the European Union and the USA. Despite the favorable trading environment for both parties, there are also problems in the domestic market of Turkmenistan and the risks of international competition.

scholarly journals Systematization of private international law in Ukraine and foreign countries: present state and tendencies

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 122-128
Author(s):  
Mykola Lazarenko
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Soviet Union ◽  
International Law ◽  
Present State ◽  
Former Soviet Union ◽  
Private International Law ◽  
Legal Analysis ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Foreign Countries

Systematization of private international law in Ukraine and foreign countries: present state and tendencies.The article deals with the comparative legal analysis of the systematization of the statutory provisions of private international law in the countries of the European Union and some countries of the former Soviet Union. The main arguments regarding different approaches to the systematization of private international law in Ukraine are outlined, as well as the main directions and tendencies of the codification processes of legislation in this area.

The Role of Natural Resources

2019 ◽  
pp. 39-66
Author(s):  
Richard Pomfret
Keyword(s):  
Natural Resources ◽  
Central Asia ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Resource Curse ◽  
First Century ◽  
Economic Diversification ◽  
Commodity Export ◽  
Twenty First Century

This chapter examines the characteristics of the natural resources that are important for Central Asia. At independence, cotton was the most important commodity export from Central Asia, but cotton did not share in the commodity boom, never repeating the 1995 peak price of over a dollar per pound. In the twenty-first century, cotton has been displaced by oil and gas and minerals. However, all the governments have shown concern about ongoing dependence on primary product exports, whose importance increased after independence despite plans for economic diversification. The chapter then reviews the resource curse literature that highlights why primary product dependence may be harmful. Resource curse outcomes are not inevitable, but resource-abundant countries do face significant obstacles if they want to avoid such an outcome.

Does the Current State of Environmental Impact Assessment in Armenia Pose a Challenge for the Future?

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (02) ◽  
pp. 1950004
Author(s):  
Sophya Geghamyan ◽  
Katarina Pavlickova
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessment ◽  
Former Soviet Union ◽  
Public Involvement ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Assessment System ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Current State

Many post-Soviet countries are still improving their Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) systems, and Armenia is no exception. In recent years, approximation to and harmonisation with the laws of the European Union has seen Armenia increasingly adopt and apply EU regulations and directives, and this process was supported by adoption of the new law on EIA and Expertise in 2014. The main objectives of this study are to review and analyse the current state of the Armenian EIA system and to assess its legal framework. We applied a method divided into two parts: review and analysis of the legislative aspects of the EIA system in Armenia and the circulation of a survey-questionnaire to EIA experts to establish current practices. The findings of this research provided positive and negative factors which can both be used to improve the assessment system in Armenia. While the most significant EIA strength combines the existence of a systematic law and public involvement in this process, the law has weaknesses in its monitoring, informative and quality control provisions. Moreover, public participation has many weaknesses in practice, including the definition of stakeholders and the lack of guidelines and manuals which challenges expert action. Finally, this paper has explored the major positives and negatives of the Armenian EIA system in practice, and we consider that this should help other Former Soviet Union (FSU) countries define and combat the challenges of their EIA systems.

The Caspian Sea: Quest for a New Legal Regime

1996 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergei Vinogradov ◽  
Patricia Wouters
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Caspian Sea ◽  
Former Soviet Union ◽  
Legal Regime ◽  
The Caspian Sea ◽  
Former Ussr

One of the most controversial contests over the allocation of shared natural resources is now being waged by four former Soviet Union republics (Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan) and Iran over the riches of the Caspian Sea. The bilateral regime established by the former USSR and Iran governing the Caspian Sea, though technically still existing today, is inadequate to deal with the present-day complex issues of the use and allocation of natural resources. The situation is aggravated by unilateral claims of the states bordering the Sea. Although the coastal states are currently discussing how the regime of the Caspian Sea might be resolved, the issue is not yet settled and the positions of the parties remain divergent.

scholarly journals Simple Assay for Detection of the Central Asia Outbreak Clade of theMycobacterium tuberculosisBeijing Genotype

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Egor Shitikov ◽  
Anna Vyazovaya ◽  
Maja Malakhova ◽  
Andrei Guliaev ◽  
Julia Bespyatykh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Molecular Marker ◽  
Central Asia ◽  
Former Soviet Union ◽  
Multidrug Resistant ◽  
Rapid Screening ◽  
Beijing Genotype ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mdr Tb

ABSTRACTThe Central Asia outbreak (CAO) clade is a branch of theMycobacterium tuberculosisBeijing genotype that is associated with multidrug resistance, increased transmissibility, and epidemic spread in parts of the former Soviet Union. Furthermore, migration flows bring these strains far beyond their areas of origin. We aimed to find a specific molecular marker of the Beijing CAO clade and develop a simple and affordable method for its detection. Based on the bioinformatics analysis of the largeM. tuberculosiswhole-genome sequencing (WGS) data set (n = 1,398), we identified an IS6110insertion in theRv1359-Rv1360intergenic region as a specific molecular marker of the CAO clade. We further designed and optimized a multiplex PCR method to detect this insertion. The method was validatedin silicowith the recently published WGS data set from Central Asia (n = 277) and experimentally withM. tuberculosisisolates from European and Asian parts of Russia, the former Soviet Union, and East Asia (n = 319). The developed molecular assay may be recommended for rapid screening of retrospective collections and for prospective surveillance when comprehensive but expensive WGS is not available or practical. The assay may be especially useful in high multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) burden countries of the former Soviet Union and in countries with respective immigrant communities.

Thematic set; habitat of oil and gas in the former Soviet Union

1997 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 313-378
Author(s):  
Simon J. Tull ◽  
David Macdonald ◽  
Larisa Voronova ◽  
Graham Blackbourn
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Former Soviet Union ◽  
Oil And Gas
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