China’s Belt and Road Initiative and Its Impact on the Caspian Basin

Abstract

This thesis examines China’s Belt and Road Initiative and its political and economic impact on the countries of the Caspian Basin. The research is structured across three main chapters along with the introductory and concluding parts. The introductory chapter starts with a general overview of the Initiative and continues with a discussion on academic literature by focusing on the development of the project during years. Scholarly works on the Belt and Road Initiative and its effects on the Caspian Basin are examined here. As the region plays a vital role in the implementation of the project for connecting Europe and Asia, the discussion about the impact of the project on the region countries has been added to the work. The Chapter follows to discuss the relevance of the topic and presents the research question that guides the thesis. The first part of the thesis concludes with laying out the theoretical and methodological foundations of the research.