PSCE Conference 
Abstracts: Seminar 1, Session 2
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SECURITY AND TERRORISM
Douglas Tookey, OSCE
Environmental Security in Central Asia
What are the principal environmental security issues in Central Asia , and how can they be best addressed so they do not lead to conflict? Environmental security issues present formidable challenges in Central Asia , and could potentially lead to conflict in the years ahead. Recent efforts such as the OSCE-UNEP-UNDP environmental and security initiative, which seeks to identify environmental security risks in the Ferghana Valley of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan represents a positive step forward in addressing these challenges. The initiative has enjoyed the cooperation of these Governments, and presents an exceptional opportunity for future regional cooperation. The paper will include a review of current environmental security risks in the Ferghana Valley , an examination of how they have been assessed by various parties, a discussion of how these environmental threats might lead to conflict, an evaluation of prospects for regional cooperation in this area, and recommendations to best address these issues.
Dr. Gawdat Bahgat, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
The Geopolitics of the Caspian Sea Region
Since 2001, a top priority of George W. Bush's White House administration has been energy security. Both the president and his vice president, Dick Cheney, were involved in the oil industry before they were elected to office. In his second week in office, the president established the National Energy Policy Development Group (NEPDG), directing it to develop a national energy policy. The group was headed by Cheney. The main recommendation of the NEPDG was to diversify both the energy sources and energy mix. The Caspian Sea region is important to world energy markets because it holds large reserves of undeveloped oil and natural gas. In order to fully utilize these resources several challenges need to be addressed. These include an accurate assessment of the region's hydrocarbon resources; rivalries between regional and international powers; domestic ethnic conflicts; legal system governing the basin; and lack of appropriate export routes. This study examines these five obstacles. It argues that the region could help increase world energy security be diversifying global sources of supply; however, the notion that the Caspian's oil and gas can be panacea to long-term global security is misguided.
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Seminar 1
Seminar 2