Azerbaijan today sits at the crossroads of a historic reconfiguration of Eurasia’s energy and transport corridors, former president of Alyeska Pipeline Service Company and senior U.S. energy security fellow Brigham McCown said at the inaugural Azerbaijan–U.S. Think Tank Forum in Baku, Report writes.
McCown stressed that only a handful of countries in the world simultaneously serve as energy producers, transit states, and strategic connectors between major regions — and Azerbaijan is one of them.
“Azerbaijan stands at the intersection of several key historic processes: the restructuring of Eurasian energy flows, the creation of alternative East–West routes, the global integration of digital, physical, and energy infrastructure, and the accelerating interaction of hydrocarbon and clean-energy systems,” he said.
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He noted that decisions taken in Baku directly shape Europe’s energy diversification, Central Asia’s access to global markets, Turkey’s logistical role, and the development of the Caspian–Black Sea transport bridge.
“This is not theory – this is an operational reality,” McCown emphasized.
AI: A Tool, But Not One to Blindly Trust
Speaking separately on the rapid rise of artificial intelligence, McCown cautioned against placing full trust in any machine-based system.
“Can we trust artificial intelligence? I don’t think we can fully trust any machine or technology – and that includes AI,” he said, pointing to the limits of current technological maturity.
Middle Corridor: From Concept to Core Artery
Transitioning to transport connectivity, McCown underlined that the Middle Corridor – stretching across Central Asia, the Caspian Sea, and Azerbaijan – has already moved from an ambitious concept to a tangible strategic route.
“Azerbaijan is at the very center of this transformation. The Caspian Sea fleet and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway are now key components of a diversified Eurasian logistics network,” he said.
