The ninetieth century was the age of conquest and the ‘Great Game’ between the vast empires of Imperial Russia and the United Kingdom. Before the First World War, London and St. Petersburg – the capital of Russia until 11 March 1918 – vied for supremacy in the Central Asia and Caspian region. In the late 1990s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the term ‘New Great Game’ was used to describe the renewed interest in the geological wealth of the region. Especially the Caspian drew the attention of policymakers due to massive untapped resources. Several factors impeded the massive exploration of the region by western firms: geopolitical tensions, instability, and the high costs of constructing new infrastructure. However, one country has booked relative success since its inception after the collapse of the Soviet Union: Azerbaijan. The signing of the ‘ deal of the century ’ concerning the exploitation […]