M. Valigi (edt.), Il Caspio. Sicurezza, conflitti e risorse energetiche,

Is a “new” Cold War in progress? This is a question on which an intense debate is being developed in the political and academic fields, in the light of the many areas of friction growing between the interests of Western countries, led by the United States on the one hand, and Russia on the other. The use of some past categories, however, may prevent a real understanding of the ongoing dynamics of the many areas of the growing friction. The Moscow attempt to revise the international political order, which emerged between 1989 and 1991, neither had global ambition nor could have the restoration of the bipolar system as a final outcome. This challenge primarily takes place in the Post-Soviet Space, due to the Moscow’s fear that its “near abroad” would be overwhelmed by that of “shared abroad” or “Western abroad.” This is not the main research question of Il Caspio. Sicurezza, conflitti e risorse energetiche, edited by Marco Valigi. It is within this wider debate, however, that this volume could be placed, arousing the interest of scholars whose surveys are not limited to the Post-Soviet Space. Furthermore, it enhances the debate with the hypothesis of a more complex geopolitical chessboard in the area, involving Iran’s regional ambitions of greatness and the Chinese race for the Caspian hydrocarbon reserves.