Dr. Robert Cutler Speaks About Energy Security
Dr. Robert Cutler, energy security specialist and research
fellow at the Institute of European, Russian and Eurasian Studies of Carleton
University, visited Tbilisi In October to conduct a series of lectures on
energy security in the Black Sea - Caspian Basin corridor. On a regional tour that included Baku and
Yerevan, the academic spoke of conceptual frameworks and also fielded questions
regarding material issues relevant to energy in the South Caucasus. His lecture, "The Structuration of the
Central Eurasian Hydrocarbon Energy Complex," presented to students at the
Center for European Studies at Tbilisi State University and at the Georgian
Institute of Public Administration, introduced his concept of concentric
spheres of geopolitical influences, and the developmental interconnections
between them. Dr. Cutler also led a
discussion with industry leaders and premier energy thinkers at the Georgian
Foundation for Strategic and International Studies. Questions generated from Dr. Cutler's diverse
audiences ranged from specific pipeline agreements, concerns about regional
instability, and the impact of possible NATO membership on energy security.