ABSTRACT
The two main groups involved in the American effort to affect the political, economic and security situation in the Caspian Sea region are the major US energy companies that have made investments in the former Soviet nations and the US government. The conflicts, accomplishments and decisions in this area of US international affairs can largely be viewed through the relationships between these two groups and the respective efforts they have made in the region. While each party has staked out its own series of negotiating positions, both the oil companies and the US government have generally displayed the realisation that political and economic interests must be carefully balanced.1 The history of the involvement by each of these two parties in the Caspian region during the first decade after the fall of the Soviet Union shows significant consistency in terms of stated goals, even in the wake of major political change in the surrounding regions and throughout the world.
