The dual shocks of disrupted Russian Black Sea exports and the virtual closure of the Strait of Hormuz have sent Brent crude soaring to roughly $105 a barrel. For Central Asia, these geopolitical bottlenecks have transformed long-dormant concepts into urgent business cases.
In my latest Forbes analysis, I explore how Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan are working to build a "new Silk Road for molecules" through trans-Caspian oil and gas pipelines, alongside regional integration of renewable electricity. While Turkmenistan—traditionally reliant on China—is signaling newfound openness to Western investment, significant obstacles remain.
Deploying this critical infrastructure will require more than diplomatic goodwill; it demands finalized seabed boundaries, concrete supplier guarantees, and multi-decade European offtake agreements. This piece appeared in both Forbes and Yahoo Finance. https://www.forbes.com/sites/kensilverstein/2026/10/18/with-hormuz-closed-central-asia-plays-every-side-and-gains-leverage/?ss=energy