CASPIAN STUDIES
July 2006
"Introduction: The Limits of Culture"
By Brenda Shaffer, Former Research Fellow, International Security Program, 1999-2000; Former Research Director, Caspian Studies Project, 2004-2007
"In recent decades, area studies and international relations specialists have conducted and published research with little dialogue between their respective fields, especially concerning the impact of culture on states...."
July 2006
"The Islamic Republic of Iran: Is It Really?"
By Brenda Shaffer, Former Research Fellow, International Security Program, 1999-2000; Former Research Director, Caspian Studies Project, 2004-2007
"The Islamic Republic of Iran could conceivably be the poster child for the proponents of cultural explanations of foreign policy and of those who claim that Islam is the guiding force of foreign policy formation for Muslim-populated states...."
July 2006
"Conclusion"
By Brenda Shaffer, Former Research Fellow, International Security Program, 1999-2000; Former Research Director, Caspian Studies Project, 2004-2007
"This study examined the foreign policies of the states of the greater Caspian region throughout the first decade after the Soviet Union's demise and attempted to identify the role of culture in the foreign policy decisions of these states...."
July 2006
The Limits of Culture: Islam and Foreign Policy
By Brenda Shaffer, Former Research Fellow, International Security Program, 1999-2000; Former Research Director, Caspian Studies Project, 2004-2007
The contributors to The Limits of Culture find that, contrary to the currently popular view, culture is rarely more important than other factors in shaping the foreign policies of countries in the Caspian region.
Read the Foreign Affairs review.
AP Photo
April-June 2006
"Turkey's Energy Policies in a Tight Global Energy Market"
Insight Turkey, issue 2, volume 8
By Brenda Shaffer, Former Research Fellow, International Security Program, 1999-2000; Former Research Director, Caspian Studies Project, 2004-2007
Despite this extensive activity in the energy sphere, it seems, however, that Ankara's energy policy has been undertaken without a strategic plan and with little integration of energy issues into Turkey's overall foreign and security policies.
October 2005
"From Pipedream to Pipeline: A Caspian Success Story"
Current History, issue 684, volume 104
By Brenda Shaffer, Former Research Fellow, International Security Program, 1999-2000; Former Research Director, Caspian Studies Project, 2004-2007
“The goal of winning the pipeline battle was less to gain the moderate volumes of oil and gas in the Caspian than to maintain (in the case of Russia) or attain (in the case of the United States and Iran) significant presence in the region.”
April 1, 2004
Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences Honors Book by Caspian Studies Program?s Brenda Shaffer
March 30, 2004
Caspian Studies Mid-Career Mason Fellow Returns to the Republic of Georgia to Serve as Minister of Defense
