Energy Security along the New Silk Road
Energy Law and Geopolitics in Central Asia

‘The Belt and Road Initiative, often referred to as the New Silk Road, is a project of enormous dimensions and of great importance to the global economy. One core element of the Belt and Road Initiative is energy, in particular energy security. This is why the oil and gas rich Central Asian countries play a pivotal role. In this book Professor Boute draws together and analyzes the economic, geopolitical and legal aspects of the central role of energy security with respect to Central Asia. He does it in a masterful way. This book establishes him as one of the foremost scholars on energy issues relating to the New Silk Road. His book is required reading for anyone wishing to understand the economic, legal and political dimensions of energy security in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative.’ Kaj Hobér, Uppsala universitet, and Chair, SCC Arbitration Institute

'The geopolitics of the New Silk Road culminate in Central Asia, a region that is key to China’s outward resource strategy. Anatole Boute excels in navigating a historically and politically highly complex region. Linking geopolitics back to markets and regulatory governance, the book is also a key reference point for anyone interested in energy politics in Central Asia.’ Andreas Goldthau, Royal Holloway, University of London

'… [a] carefully researched book … Boute has provided an innovative and useful multidisciplinary analysis of energy sector reform in Central Asia, drawing on law, institutions and geopolitics. This book should be read by academics, policy analysts and energy industry strategists; not just those working on central Asia but also in other parts of the world where institutions have a strong tendency to undermine the best laid plans.' Philip Andrews-Speed, Oil, Gas & Energy Law Intelligence

‘Energy Security Along the New Silk Road is distinct for it explores a variety of legal components of energy reforms in Central Asia linking them with the state of energy security in a region with an intricate geopolitical context. In the opening, Boute observes that between two models of energy markets - monopolized and competitive - the latter, the deregulated energy market requires more regulation because it involves multifaceted market structure, diverse transactions, and various players. The author presents original comprehensive research, in which the sundry problems of the existing national and regional energy markets are characterized, the cause-effect linkages are analyzed, and the implications are discussed. Finally, and very importantly, Energy Security Along the New Silk Road is convincingly precise in the analysis of the covered topics. This virtue is attained through referencing a massive body of scholarly work, official regulatory documents, and national media sources.’ Elena Shadrina, Eurasian Geography and Economics