A diplomatic history of the Caspian Sea : treaties, diaries, and other stories / Guive Mirfendereski ; foreword by H.E. Chehabi.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Mirfendereski, Guive.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

International relations.

History.

Caspian Sea Region--History.

Caspian Sea Region.

Russia--Foreign relations--Iran.

Russia.

Iran--Foreign relations--Russia.

Iran.

Soviet Union--Foreign relations--Iran.

Soviet Union.

Iran--Foreign relations--Soviet Union.

Physical Description:

ix, 261 pages ; 25 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Palgrave, 2001.

Summary:

In a series of short stories that both inform and amuse, this book transports the reader to the windswept shores of the Caspian Sea and provides a provocative glimpse at the wars, reconciliations, intrigues, and betrayals that have shaped the political geography of this region since the 1720s. With the demise of the Soviet Union in 1991-1992 and the dismantling of the old Iranian-Soviet regime of the sea, the Caspian littoral faces new challenges, as the regional actors and outside players seek unprecedented opportunities to exploit the area's enormous oil and gas resources. This book explores the historical themes that inform and animate the more immediate and familiar discussions about petroleum, pipelines, and ethnic conflict in the region.

Contents:

1. The Price of Survival (1721-1724) 5

2. Persian Restoration (1724-1735) 13

3. A Russian Lake (1735-1781) 17

4. Catherine and Agha Mohammad (1781-1797) 23

5. Creeping South to Astara-Chay (1797-1829) 25

6. On to Ashuradeh! (1835-1841) 29

7. Melgunov's Field Trip (1858-1860) 35

8. The Royal Playground (1866-1870) 41

9. The Voyager King (1873) 45

10. Ballantine's Travels (1875) 49

11. To Qizil Su and Beyond (1869-1876) 53

12. The Shah's Second European Tour (1878) 57

13. Taming of the Turkmens (1879-1881) 59

14. Hemming of Persia at Gudri (1881-1893) 61

15. Curzon's Complaint (1892) 63

16. The Mortgaging of Persia (1872-1896) 67

17. Savage-Landor's Lament (1901) 71

18. Surf and Turf (1901-1903) 75

19. Mozaffar ed-Din's Concessions (1898-1907) 79

20. At the Water's Edge (1902) 81

21. The Lords of Northern Persia (1907-1917) 85

22. Seeing Red (1917) 95

23. The Fisher of Troubled Waters (1917-1918) 97

24. Baku or Bust! (1918-1920) 99

25. The Persian Socialist Soviet Republic (1920) 103

26. The League's Legalese (1920) 107

27. Mending Fences (1921) 113

28. The Sinclair Squeeze Play (1922-1924) 119

29. Fish Stories (1927) 125

30. Peripheral Developments (1923-1936) 131

31. The Shah's Northern Navy (1924-1935) 135

32. The Iranian and Soviet Sea (1931-1940) 139

33. Making Virtue of Necessity (1939-1943) 147

34. Lingering Imperialism (1943-1947) 157

35. Good Neighborliness (1953-1971) 165

36. Peace on Land, Peace at Sea (1952-1977) 171

37. Imaginary Line, Real Limits (1962-1991) 175

38. A Secret Covenant (1962) 181

39. Death and Succession (1991) 183

40. New Players, New Game, New Rules (1991-1997) 187

41. Diplomacy and Betrayal (1997-1999) 195

42. Our Sea, 2000 203

Appendix 1. Letter from Ahmad Mirfendereski 215

Appendix 2. Statement (undated) of Admiral Saifallah Anushiravani 217.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [247]-258) and index.

ISBN:

0312240058

OCLC:

46936123