This article examines the promising oil and gas developments in Kazakhstan, and more specifically, it seeks to answer the question of how the Kashagan oil field will be developed. What might be the geopolitical consequences of this project for the Caspian Basin? The pipeline issue has arisen regarding the giant Kashagan field in Kazakhstan with the same issues that emerged in the previous BTC project in the region. B discussing possible alternative routes available to the Kazakh government other than the Russian oil pipeline network, I will put forward the most likely scenario in terms of which pipeline to be used in bringing that oil to market. In doing so, this article will contribute to the discussion of which export routes will be chosen for the energy development of the Caspian Basin? (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.